Redemption
by I Am Atrocity
Summary: During the battle against the Chitauri, Loki has a change of heart. Can the Lord of Lies and Mischief become something more than a man, broken by his own misdeeds, seeking the acceptance he was never given? Loki/Natasha.
1. The Man Who Would Be King

**Disclaimer: This is a work of FANFICTION, meaning that I do not own The Avengers or any other character from Marvel.**

**A/N: Hello, my friends. It has been so long since I have written anything for this site. For anyone who has read my other stories, I'm sorry, but I do not know when, or if, I'll return to them. When I saw Thor, I loved it. And I was immediately drawn to the character Loki. I thought about writing a story then, but could not form an adequate idea. When I saw the Avengers, I was instantly struck with inspiration. This is the result of that. I plan to update this as often as possible, but I'm not going to wear myself out like I used to. I hope you all enjoy this.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter I: The Man Who Would Be King**

**'He is running from his wildest thoughts. He is running from his everything. He is looking now to find something, hoping he could be saved.' **

**-The Man Who Would Be King by Iron Maiden.**

Loki snarled as he grappled with his older brother atop Stark Tower. Below them, the Chitauri vanguard were delivering a decimating initial assault upon the unsuspecting populace of New York City. Pillars of smoke were already breaking the skyline, and the screams of the innocents could be heard even at this distance.

Sometime during the fight he had lost hold of his spear and was now having to rely solely on his hand-to-hand skills to fend off Thor's attacks. Their fight came to a standstill and Loki glared defiantly at his brother. Inside, it was tearing him apart to be facing Thor. They should be working together, conquering Earth as brothers. Thor's love for humans made that dream near-impossible. Looking back, he could have done things differently. But the past was the past, and there was no going back now.

"Look around you, Loki!" Thor growled, grabbing Loki and holding him in place. "Do you think this chaos will end with your rule?"

Glancing around, taking in the havoc that the Chitauri were wreaking on the mortals, the screams of the mortals as they ran, desperately seeking safety from the invading army, he felt a faint pang of regret. He shoved that aside as best as he could, but he couldn't make it disappear. He looked up into the imploring, pleading eyes of Thor, his brother. "It's too late." he said, despair coloring his tone. "You can't stop it. No one can."

Thor shook his head. "We can, Loki. Together." The hope and pain in Thor's voice cut through Loki like Surtur's blade through snow.

He wanted so desperately to believe him; to believe that he, Loki, could stand by his brother's side again and face a common enemy with matching smiles, like they had so many times in the past. But that dream was beyond his reach. He had made his bed, now he had to lay in it. If he was returned to Asgard, even as a friend, he would be punished. Odin would never allow his crimes to pass without judgement. Attempted genocide, the destruction of the Bifrost, those were no small charges. He would pay for them, with his life most likely. If not his life, then in other, possibly worse, ways. No, he could not go back.

With a flick of his wrist, a small dagger dropped from his sleeve and into his hand. Swift as the lightening that Thor commanded, he plunged the dagger into the Thunder God's side. A second of hesitation saw that the blade didn't pierce as deep as originally intended. Despite that, Thor dropped to one knee, gasping in pain. "Sentiment." he muttered, quietly berating himself for his moment of weakness.

He had come too far to let anything stop him now. The world was at his feet, ready to be ruled. A single leap and he was standing solidly on the back of a passing Chitauri craft. He cast his gaze back to the Tower, seeing his brother rise to his feet and toss his dagger aside. The wound wasn't deep, and would prove to be of little hindrance to Thor. He felt a sense of relief with that knowledge, though he smothered it and ignored it in favor of determination to claim this world as his own.

**XXXX**

He was back at Stark Tower; how he had gotten their was unclear. The world beyond those walls was chaos. His time out there, amongst the battle, was a blur. He remembered Thor using his lightning to deal a devistating blow to the invading army as they came through the portal. He remember the archer, Barton, attempting to eliminate him with an arrow through his head. He had caught the arrow with little effort, but the explosion that followed was something that he had failed to expect.

Now he was staring down an angry Hulk, with no visible way out. He looked around quickly, his keen eyes scanning the interior for any means of escape. He found none except the opening behind the massive green beast. He cursed silently.

The beast charged at him and a plan formed in his devious mind. He needed to save himself, and in order to do that, he needed to put his new plan in action immediately. "STOP!" He shouted, seeming to startle the Hulk into coming to a halt. "Enough! I surrender."

Hulk tilted his head, unsure of how to proceed. Loki waited, afraid to speak further, lest the beast decide that it was better to just kill him and be done with it. He held his hands up, palms to the sky, to show that he meant no harm. After watching the Hulk tear a path of destruction through the city, he now understood Mr. Stark's faith in the creature. Now, he just needed to get his hands on his spear.

Loki sat down heavily on the short set of stairs behind him and ran his hands through his hair. All the while, the Hulk watched him, body poised to pounce should he make any sudden moves. He was walking on thin ice, and he knew it.

As he sat there, under Banner's watchful eyes, Tony Stark's words echoed inside his head. _**There's no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top.**_ Looking at his situation now, he was beginning to see the truth behind those words. Two members of the so-called Avengers had attempted to talk him out of this battle. First, his brother, atop that small cliff in the wilderness; then Stark, here in this very room. He had been warned, and ignored them, all because of his thrice damned pride. Actually, Thor had tried to talk him out of it twice. He had been offered forgiveness by his brother, and twice he had childishly slapped the hand of friendship away. He hoped that Thor still hadn't given up on him.

He looked up at Hulk. "Are you just going to stand there while your friends fight for their lives? Stupid beast." he muttered the last part under his breath. Apparantly the Hulk had heard him though, because the next thing he knew he was in the air and then on the ground with the wind knocked out of him.

He layed there, gasping for breath as Banner marched back the way he had come and rejoined the battle. He wiggled his fingers, testing their responce time. _**Good, I can still move.**_ He then did a quick check of the rest of his body. _**Nothing broken. I suppose I should be thankful, that oafish creature could have done much worse.**_

He struggled to his feet and slowly made his way out onto the balcony where he remembered losing his spear. Upon inspection of the area he discovered that his spear was missing. He looked around desperately, thinking that perhaps he had just overlooked it, unlikely as it was. After further inspection turned out fruitless, he cursed violently under his breath. He looked up to the sky above Stark Tower, seeing Chitauri still coming through the portal. _**Without that sceptre, I cannot close the gateway.**_

His gaze followed the beam of light that connected the portal to the Tesseract. He hurried up to the top of the Tower, hoping to find that Selvig had retrieved the sceptre when he had dropped it. However, he found it not in the hands of Eric Selvig, but in the hands of one Natasha Romanoff. "Damn." he whispered.

Fixing a look of calm determination on his face, he approached them casually. He could hear Romanoff speaking to someone. "Guys, I can close the portal." He couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but whatever was said must not have been good news, because her eyes grew wide and he could easily detect fear within those blue orbs. He tilted his head, wondering what could have possibly frightened the steel-nerved S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

"What? What did they say?" Selvig asked, voicing Loki's thought exactly.

"There's a nuke head for the city as we speak. Stark is going to try and put it through the portal." She answered. Selvig nodded.

Loki looked around, trying to spy Stark's distinct crimson and gold armor. It took him a moment, but he finally spotted the genius mortal, flying directly at their position, guiding a giant missile with his body.

Stark drew nearer to the Tower. At the last second he was able to turn the missile upward, toward the open portal. Loki held his breath as Iron Man sped into the portal. A sigh of relief followed, not only from himself, but from Romanoff and Selvig as well. _**Speaking of those two, I am quite surprised that they have not noticed me yet. Foolish mortals. That kind negligence can get you killed.**_

__A moment later the light of an explosion was visible from the other side of the portal and all around the city the Chitauri were falling lifeless. He knew that they needed to close the portal before the explosion poured through, but Natasha seemed to be stalling in hopes that Stark would return through it. They had no time for such risks.

In one fluid movement he stepped forward and slipped the spear from her grasp, lightly nudging her aside. He ignored the protests that followed from Natasha and Selvig. He would deal with them as soon as they were safe. With calm resolve he pushed the tip of the spear into the beam, disrupting it and causing the portal to close. He looked up and smirked as a single small figure fell through the portal just before it closed.

His smirk disappeared when he realized that Stark was not slowing his descent. He cursed that he had no means of flying up there, and hoped that his brother had noticed his falling teammate as well. He was further surprised whe it was Banner, not Thor, that caught Stark and broke his fall.

A small smile lit his face with the knowledge that earth was safe once more, if a little worse for wear. He turned to face the other two atop the Tower, only to come face-to-barrel with Natasha's gun. He raised his hands and smirked. "Don't shoot. I come in peace." She didn't look convinced, her gun not lowering in the slightest. Her eyes flicked sideways and he looked to where they had. _**Oh. Holding a spear doesn't exactly say 'friendly'.**_

His fingers opened, letting the spear fall from his grip to clatter on the ground at their feet. He continued to smile as Natasha radioed the rest of the team, informing that she had him in custody. "Um, I'm not in-" He was cut off when the gun disappeared, he was kicked in the leg, dropping him to one knee, and then cuffed. He looked down at the metal shackles in amusement as he climbed back to his feet. "I stand corrected."

**XXXX**

Humiliation. Annoyance. Amusement. Anger. Joy. Sorrow. He was feeling all of these as he was marched, bound and gagged, sort of, into a clearing in Central Park by Thor. Humiliation, because he was being treated like a common criminal; Annoyance, because the muzzle prevented him from speaking, or breathing through his mouth; Amusement, because the humans were too scared to let him walk on his own, unchained, even though he no longer meant them any harm; Anger, because Thor did not speak in his defence; Joy, because Thor had told him, in secret that he would make sure that he was given fair trial on Asgard, and would speak in his defence, seeing as he had tried to help them at the end; Sorrow, for leaving Midgard with such noticable and painful scars. All this, and more, coursed through him as he stood there, waiting for Thor to say farewell to Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

One by one, they said they're goodbyes, all of them ignoring his presence. He took that short time to study them all, to remember them, the mortals that had all put aside their differences to put a stop to him, the God of Mischief.

Of them all, only a few stood out to him. Bruce Banner had been the only one to actually take him down. His monstrous strength when in his other form was not something Loki wished to ever be on the recieving end of again; he could still feel the bruises from the beast's attack.

Tony Stark had faced him down, even when his suit was damaged and he was without its protection. And making the sacrifice play to save the world. Tony Stark had earned a grudging respect from Loki.

Finally, Natasha Romanoff caught his eye. He strong-willed beauty made him smirk. Very few could manage to effectively sneak up on him, and one of those few was this fiery young woman. Not only had she been able to avoid detection, she was able to actually fool him. The Trickster, tricked. The irony of it was not lost on him.

Further observance was interrupted by Thor, who was now offering him one end of the device designed to transport them back to Asgard using the power of the Tesseract. With a resigned sigh he reached out and took hold of the device. Thor activated it and they were swallowed up by a bright flash.

When Loki opened his eyes, he was standing on the Rainbow Bridge, facing towards the main gates of Asgard. A battalion of guards were present, waiting to escort them to the throne room where Odin waited. _**All of this for me? I'm flattered.**_ The muzzle hid Loki's smirk.

The long walk up the Bridge seemed to last forever in Loki's eyes, not that he was complaining, every second that he wasn't standing before odin was a seond of precious freedom. He knew that, even with Thor testimony, he would be severely punished for his near destruction of Midgard and the attempted genocide of Jotunheim. There was no denying that he deserved punishment. _**Maybe, instead of standing around like an idiot, I should have taken the time when no one was looking to slip away. Alas, what's done is done.**_

The throne room was exactly as he remembered, filled with false friends and naysayers; gods and others that whispered about him behind his back and behind closed doors. As he marched to Odin's throne, he could hear those whispers. Traiter. Monster. Betrayer. Backstabber. Murderer. Liar. Usurper. The cruel names and words of hate passed through countless lips, cutting him deeper than any blade ever could. The only comfort he had was that Thor stood resolutely at his side, a restraining, yet supportive, hand on his shoulder.

The guards spread out in a wide circle around him and his brother, hands resting on their weapons threateningly. If Loki were not bound he would have smiled mockingly at the unnecissary display of aggression. As it was, that smile was hidden and the only evidence of its existence was the slight crinkling around his eyes.

Odin, the Allfather, looked down on him, his one eye revealing no emotion. _**Oh, joy.**_ He regarded Loki silently, taking stock of the man he had taken and raised as a brother to his own son. Odin still considered Loki his son; a son he still loved, despite his man faults and crimes. He stood. "Loki." The Trickster tilted his head to show that he had heard. "My son, you have been brought here before me to answer for your crimes. They stand as thus: attempted destruction of Jotunheim and its inhabitants, and the resulting destruction of the Bifrost." _**Technically, that was Thor's doing.**_ "The unrightful claiming of the throne of Asgard." _**Unrightful? I had every right! You were in the Odinsleep and Thor was in exile. I was next in line!**_ "And the attempted subjugation of Midgard through hostile invasion." _**Is there a form of invasion that isn't hostile?**_

All of Loki's responses were internal as he could not speak through the muzzle. Thor, seeming to read his mind, reached up and unclasped it. Protests were heard throughout the hall. Thor met the questioning gaze of Odin. "I promised Loki a fair trial. I will not go back on my word, lest I be called Oathbreaker." Odin seemed to accept this, while some still were unhappy that the usurper, the traiter, was going to be allowed to speak.

Loki silently worked his stiff jaw, easing the dull ache that had settled in. He then met Odin's gaze and smiled. "Hello, _father_." he put special emphasis on the word, stressing it more than was necessary. "First off, the Bifost, that was my dear Brother here. No offence." he said the last part to Thor, who shook his head. "Of course, I accept that, had I not locked the Bifrost the way I did, Thor would not have _had_ to destroy the Bridge, but I digress. Second. My taking of the throne was completely rightful."

Shouts of outrage erupted within the hall, with many of the Asgardians demanding that he be silenced. Others were arguing that, since he was not Odin's heir, he had no right to the throne. Loki ignored them and continued. "You were in the Odinsleep, Thor was in exile on Midgard. Who was left?" he gestured to himself. "As the second 'son' of Odin, it was my place to step up and rule." He paused and looked at Thor, who was listening to him with a thoughtful expression. "As for the invasion of Midgard, I have no excuse, and will make none, except that I was blinded by jealousy. On multiple occasions, Thor offered me the chance to call it off and return home, here, to Asgard. I wish now that I had accepted." He thought a moment before deciding not to voice the sarcastic query that he had asked in his head earlier. _**No need to anger them further.**_ "So, of the four crimes you have charged me with, I am guilty of only three, technically two, but I'm partially guilty of the Bifrost."

Thor was confused, Loki hadn't even tried to really defend himself. Was this some ploy? Some scheme to throw them off his true intentions?

Odin peered at Loki in much the same manner as Thor, wondering what Loki could be scheming.

For his part, Loki felt peculiarly light, having admitted his guilt and accepted that he was in the wrong. He now awaited the Allfather's judgement. He was secretly amused by the fact that both Odin and Thor were overthinking his motives. All he wanted was to be able to walk freely without being hunted or shadowed everywhere he went.

Odin finally gave up and sighed. "Loki Odinson," _**Laufeyson.**_ Loki silently filled in, his inner voice bitter with the words that wanted to stain his tongue. "there are few prisons in all the Nine Realms that can hold you." _**True...**_ "With that in mind, I hereby sentence you to a place where even your magics cannot save you: the Isle of Silence. In that place, no one will hear your lies."

The small smile on Loki's lips died and he was left in shock, his mouth hanging agape. He tried to form a responce, perhaps a sarcastic comment, but his tongue wouldn not obey him. _**The Isle of Silence...**_ He had hoped for mercy, but his 'father' had taken away the only thing that gave him _real_ power: his voice.

**XXXX**

**A/N: What do you think? Should I continue? I'm not sure if I was able to portray Loki accurately. He is a complex character, and I have to try and get inside his head. Review please, but no flames; **


	2. Imprisoned

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or any of the other Marvel characters.**

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed or favorited this story. I wasn't expect many people to read, let alone like and review this story, so again: Thank You! In this chapter Loki's fate will be revealed, and a few other major characters will be introduced. Let me know how I do on the characters' personalities, some of them were hard.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter II: Imprisoned**

**Once my life was plain and clear, I recall. Once my ignorance was bliss. Nightfall came like a serpent's kiss to my troubled mind.'**

**-Abandoned by Kamelot.**

Loki's eyes were wide in horror and his mouth hung agape as he felt a guard take each of his arms and start to lead him away. His mind raced, and yet he could not form a coherent thought or sentence. When it finally sunk in what the Allfather's judgement was, he began to struggle. He would rather die than be reduced to a helpless, broken shell of himself, as he would become if he were forced to reside in the Isle of Silence.

Of all the Asgardians in the hall, many seemed in favor of this punishment. There were, however, a few that were unsatisfied and demanded blood.

Thor was in as much shock as Loki. Very few things lived in the Isle of Silence, and none of them were friendly. The mere nature of the place was an enemy in itself. It was a place were no sound existed, not even your own breath could be heard. If Loki were ever allowed to return from that place, he would not be the same. He would return even worse than ever, his mind broken and insane, as tended to happen with those who spent too much time with only their own compan to keep.

The fear and despair in his brother's eyes was what spurred him into action. He stepped up forcefully removed the guards' grip from the struggling Trickster. "Father, I beg you, reconsider. Loki may have done some questionable things, but no one deserves such a punishment. The effect that the Isle of Silence would have on him would be worse than death!"

Odin seemed to think on Thor's words, taking more than a few minutes in doing so. The Asgardians that were calling for Loki's head on a spike now seemed in favor of the Isle; if it was worse than dying a traiter's death, then they felt that the Silver Tongue deserved it.

For his part, Loki dared not hope that Odin's wrath would be tempered with mercy because of a few simple words spoken by the favored son. _**Then again, if anyone can change Odin's mind, it would be Thor, the favored son. **_

While Odin contemplated whether or not to spare his second son the madness inducing effects of the Isle, Loki took time to see if he could spy any familiar faces amongst those gathered in the hall.

A little to his left he could see the Warriors Three, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg, all looking on in curious wonder. Fandral, for once, wasn't grinning and flirting with the any woman present, but instead was watching the proceedings with slight worry etched on his face. _**Not worried for me though, not these false friends. Probably afraid that Odin will punish Thor for questioning his judgement.**_ He also noticed a few others that he knew of: Hermod, Hoder, Freya. No friends there either.

Finally Odin raised his gaze up to fix a hard, stern eye on Loki. "You wish to vouch for Loki, Thor?" Odin asked, not taking his eye off the God of Mischief.

Thor was resolute and confident in his answer. "I do."

Odin nodded. "Very well. Guards, seize the prisoner and follow me."

Once again Loki was gripped by the arms and led out of the hall, trailing after the Allfather as he walked quickly from the hall, heading outside. Absently, Loki wondered where Frigga was, not seeing her anywhere. _**My only ally is Thor, surely I am cursed.**_

Thor was walking at Loki's side, with only a guard between them. "Loki, Eric Selvig told S.H.I.E.L.D. that he set up the sceptre as a deactivation device for the portal without your knowledge. Yet, he says that you are the one who closed the portal at the end."

Loki smiled a mischievious smile. "Do you honestly think that someone under my control could hide something so important from me? I knew about it the second Selvig thought of it. I let him continue with it, because i wasn't sure I could trust the Chitauri. If they turned on me, I need a sure way to halt their advance." He smirked. "As for why I closed it, it suited my purpose."

"And what purpose was was that?" Thor asked.

Loki gave Thor a look, as though he were stupid. "There was a nuclear explosion on the other side of that portal, I couldn't allow any of it to spill through."

Thor frowned. "For some reason, I doubt that your intentions were that honerable."

"Believe whatever you wish, but I speak the truth, hard as that may be to believe."

"Come, Loki, there has to be more to it than that!" Thor reasoned.

Loki grinned. "Yes, but that would be telling."

Thor groaned and fell silent. He knew that Loki would not divulge such information until it suited him, and now was not that time.

Once outside in the bright sunshine, Odin lead them to a small garden-like area, filled with bushes and a single tree in the center. It was before this tree that Odin came to a stop. He motioned for the guards to bring Loki forward. The shackles were removed and Loki was left standing next to the trunk of the tree.

Odin reached out and put a hand on his adopted son's shoulder. "Since your brother has appealed for mercy, mercy will be shown." He turned to simultaneously address those gathered and Loki at once; all of the hall's inhabitants had followed them out. With a shake of his head, Loki noted Sif as a newcomer amongst the crowd, having been outside when they came here, she decided to see what was going on. Fandral and Volstagg were filling her in on the events. "Loki Odinson, for your crimes, I have decreed that you be sent to live out the rest of your days in the Isle of Silence. However, Thor has spoken on your behalf, thus I have decided to show mercy. Henceforth, you shall be imprisoned within this very tree, until such a time as someone sheds a tear for your sake."

Loki had no time to react before he was pushed agaisnst the tree's trunk and surrounded by a bright light. The next thing he knew was that he was unable to move. He could still see, and somehow breath, but that was all.

Thor was bewildered. He approached the tree, unsure, and placed a hand on its bark. He then turned to face a grim looking Odin. "Father, you know that Loki will never escape this. No one on Asgard will shed a tear for him!"

Odin sighed. "I know. However, fate is a strange thing. If Loki has a greater destiny than to be a prisoner until Ragnarok come, he will be freed." Odin cast a saddened glance at the tree that he had just imprisoned one of his sons within. "How did it come to this?" he asked himself as he began his return to the throne room.

Loki heard the words, and was filled with bitterness. He cheked every face with in his view, and found not a single eye to be glistening. No one would weep for his fate. _**I expected nothing less. I knew what I was walking into the second I surrendered.**_

One by one the crowd thinned out until it was only Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three standing before him. Sif's eyes held pity, but no sadness. the same true for all except Thor, who looked at the tree with deep sorrow. Loki felt a small surge of hope but crushed it immediately. Thor would never allow himself to cry, whether in public or private he would not show such weakness. He was a warrior after all.

**XXXX Time Skp.**

The clean-up of New York was a long and arduous task. But now, almost a year after Loki's defeat, the wounds were near healed. Everyone pitched in to return the once great city to its former glory, and all the hard work had finally paid off.

Tony Stark frowned down at the designs on the screen of the laptop-like device that Natasha Romanoff had just given him. It held a detailed report about the inner workings of the spear that Loki had weilded. After his defeat and capture, S.H.I.E.L.D. commandeered it in order to further proceed with Phase 2. They had produced prototype weapons that worked similarly to the spear. Now they wanted him to help refine and produce more of the weapons in case earth was ever threatened again.

"I'm sure you already knew this, Agent Romanoff, but I am no longer in the weapons industry." Tony said, the frown still marring his face.

Natasha sighed and crossed her arms. "I know, and I told them that."

"And Fury sent you anyway? Why am I not surprised?" Tony asked sarcastically.

Another sigh escaped Natasha's lips, she was quickly loosing patience with the eccentric billionaire. "Look, I'm just following orders. But, if you must know, the command to mass-produce these weapons came from someone with higher authority than Director Fury."

"Oh, and I thought old One-Eye was the boss. Well, you can tell Fury to tell whoever gave this order, that I'm not interested. Last thing we need is an arsenal just laying around for someone to take." Tony handed the device back to her with a smile.

Natasha took the device with reluctance. "Listen, Stark, don't you see the benefit of these weapons? If we have them, we'll be better equipped to face the next threat that comes along."

Tony shook his head. "Give it a rest. You don't believe that and you know it. That sounded more scripted than an excuse involving arial military exercises or armored bodyguards."

The female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent shrugged. "I was told to try."

Tony grinned. "And now you can truthfully say that you did. But, as always, my genius was too much for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s half-baked plans to withstand and you were forced to admit defeat in the face of overwhelming opposition." He clapped his hands. "There, a perfect excuse." He brushed passed her. "Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I have work to do. Good day, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha let out a breath and left Stark Tower. The Tower was still in the process of reconstruction. With Stark's involvement in cleaning up the debris and fixing the damage inflicted by the Chitauri, he had had little time to focus on his own projects, though Pepper had been overseing the Tower's reconstruction plans and gotten them started. Now, with the rebuilding nearing completion, Stark was turning his focus towards home. Natasha knew that Fury knew that Stark would refuse the weapons project, so her visit was more of a formality, a performance to make it at least look like they had tried.

Fury had lost a lot of faith in the council after they made the call to bomb New York. Their continued insistance that the Avengers were a threat to global safety was another issue on which they did not see eye to eye with the Director. So far, he had been able to keep them at bay. They wanted to keep the Avengers contained and supervised. _**I don't think even the council could contain Tony. And as for supervising him, he more than likely invented the technology they would use to watch us.**_ The thought brought a smile to her face. Tony may not trust her very much, but she honestly considered him a friend.

As she stepped out onto the street, she caught movement in her peripheral vision. She snapped her head in that direction to find nothing there. For a moment she took deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She closed her eyes and replayed the flash of green and black that had all of her instincts telling her to run. She looked around again. Nothing. _**Get ahold of yourself, it's your imagination.**_

It wasn't the first time she had thought she had seen him. Images of Loki plagued her dreams on a regular basis. She had faced countless horrors in her dark, albiet short, life, but, for some reason, none of them had affected her like the God of Mischief.

Sometimes she wondered if any of the others were still haunted by the memories. She knew that Barton still looked back in shame at the things he had done under Loki's control, but, as far as she knew, he didn't have dreams about it; if he did, he wasn't telling, and she wasn't asking. Not that she had told anyone either. That would probably result in a psych evaluation, and she wasn't so sure that she wanted to go through that.

She got in her car and began the drive back to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York headquarters, which had somehow escaped being damaged during the invasion.

When she arrived, she reported directly to Fury. "Stark adamantly refuses to be a part of the project."

Fury nodded. "I expected as much. Thank you, Agent Romanoff, that will be all."

She nodded and left without another word. The entire assignment was a farce, that much she already knew, no need to waste time with pointless formalities and procedure. So off she was, to the gym to try and get in some training before they found something else for her to do.

The gym was empty when she arrived and she casually walked into the locker room to change into some more suitable clothing. The punching bag was calling her name and she welcomed anything to keep her mind from wandering and wondering about the green and black figure she had seen and the effect her memories and dreams were having on her.

**XXXX**

Flames spewed upward from large, gaping, jagged cracks in the ground. The horizon was split by the outine of countless active volcanoes, from which pillars of black smoke rose to form massive, dark haze over the reddened sky. No plantlife grew here, as the air was too hot, and too dry. No moisture was to be found within this realm. The atmosphere was highly toxic, with the lack of clean oxygen, and the abundance of sulfur dioxide. Any mortal or other such being would die within minutes of entering the realm, if the flames didn't consume them first. In a rift between to volcanoes, an enormous sword stood, blade-first, in the ground.

At the heart of this hellish realm, an ancient evil stirred. The great Fire Giant, Surtur rested, his power held in check through magics set in place by Odin thousands of years past. Yet, this day, he could feel them weakening; not enough for him to break free, but enough that he felt more alive than in a long while.

His yellow eyes snapped open as he sensed another being drawing near his resting place. It was not one of the many demons that inhabited this world alongside him. No, this was someone new.

Through the haze and smoke he could see someone approaching. The figure was tall, by mortal standards, and heavily muscled. His skin was a deep purple in color and his red eyes shone a stark contrast to the rest of his being. Perhaps to someone of lesser power, he would pose a great threat, but to Surtur, who power was matched by none but Odin in his prime, this being was a mere fly, even in his weakened state.

The being gazed up at him, outwardly showing no fear of the great fire-wreathed giant. On his right hand, a golden gauntlet with six bright gems embedded within gleamed brightly in the light cast by the countless fires. The figure did not say a word, merely looked at Surtur. He did not come close enough to be struck by the thousand foot tall giant, which frustrated the demon immensely.

Suddenly the smoke around the figure glowed a plale blue, and Surtur felt the cords of magic that suppressed him weaken further and finally break. He rose to his feet, feeling his power returning to full strength. He reached out and gripped the hilt of the large sword and drew it from the ground and it was immediately coated in flames.

He searched the area for the being he had seen, only to find that he was nowhere to be found. It mattered not, though, he was free. Odin's time had come, and Surtur would raise himself as Ruler of the Nine Realms, starting with Midgard.

**XXXX**

Asgard was easily visible in the distance as the _Sanctuary II_ drew nearer, a large armada following. Among the fleet were the starships _Space Throne_, _Dreadnaught-666_, and _Demeter_.

On the bridge of the _Sanctuary II_, Thanos, the Mad Titan, stood, looking out toward the distant shape of Asgard. The Other's words replayed in his head. _**To face them, is to court Death.**_ Again, the words brought a smile to his face. But the conquering of Earth would have to wait, first, Asgard must fall.

Behind him, the Other came forward. "My Lord, all ships are ready to advance. Engines are primed to maximum capacity."

"Set all engines to all-ahead with due haste." he commanded. The Chitauri that manned the ship hurried to follow the order and Thanos returned his gaze to the blue tinted orb that was Earth. The Other gave a signal to the Chitauri and the ship surged forward.

He had rebuilt his forces in the past year since the Earthian heroes defeated his Chitauri and the fool Loki. Soon after that, he had set his sights on the homeworld of the Trickster that had cost him countless soldiers. He would repay that transgression with the blood of his people. "Prepare yourself, Asgardians, Thanos has come for you, Death and damnation await."

**XXXX**

**A/N: That's that. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know if you notice any mistakes. And let me know how I did with the characters; did I accurately portray them? In other words: Review, but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	3. Abandoned

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or any other character in the Marvel Universe.**

**A/N: Thank you to all that reviewed. This chapter is a bit longer than the first two. I'm A bit unsure about this chapter, so: Read. Enjoy. Review.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter III: Abandoned**

**'I wanted love, I wanted life. Been striving for a new direction. I wanted out, I wanted more. I wanted to forget the damage left behind. But I recall the dream I had when I kept moving on. Can't stand to remember. I recall, no turning back. Now I'm moving on. Alone I remember.'**

**-Alone I Remember by Avantasia.**

The sun shone brightly, casting its warm rays on the leaves of Loki's Tree, as it had come to be called. A soft breeze blew through the leaves, sending a cooling sensation through the still-imprisoned God of Mischief. He never slept, he didn't have the ability in this form. It was enough to make him almost wish for the Isle of Silence. Almost.

During the day, he could watch the Asgardians going about their business. And every day, Thor and his friends would come to spar beneath the shade of his branches, unless they were off on some adventure. By this point, he had given up hope of ever being released, and so resigned himself to the life of a tree. He was quite talented at standing still and looking nice all day, if he did say so himself. At least no one bothered him in this form. Gone were the hateful glares, the distrusting glances, the annoyed frowns and all of the strained and awkward silences that usually permeated the hall when he was around. No one liked him when he was free, but as a tree, he was tolerated and generally ignored. _**Out of sight, out of mind. I've become a decoration!**_

After each sparring session, Thor, and sometime the Warriors Three would sit at his roots and tell tales of the adventures that they had gone on during his time as a tree. They always embellished the details, making them seem much more dangerous or perilous than they really were, but that only made them better stories and Loki appreciated their efforts to entertain him. Story time was the highlight of his day, and he was always disappointed if no one visited.

During the first day, he had been sure that his punishment would be short, that surely a member of his family would shed a tear for him. He had been wrong. Thor would not allow him self to cry, due to his foolish pride; Odin had been the one to put him here, so he did not expect him to free him; Frigga, the one he had expected to cry the most, had resolutely opted to stand by Odin's decision and not shed a single tear. On one occasion, when she had visited the Tree, she had come close to breaking down, but she was a strong woman and pulled herself together in time to stop herself from crying. It was then that he had resigned himself to his fate. Or, at least, he tried.

After so long, he could not recall what it felt like to be human, all he had was the memory that once, he walked; once, he spoke; once, he fought; once, he cried; once, he felt; once, he lived. Now, he was nothing more than a part of the scenery, no matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise.

Every morning he would see the sun rise and tell himself that today would be the day that someone freed him, that someone would miss him enough to cry at his absence. Of course, after that, reality would settle in and he would discard that hope and resign himself, once again, to life as a tree. _**No need to torture myself further with such eternal disappointment. Not even Thor, my 'beloved brother', nor my 'loving parents' have shed a tear for me. It must be a relief to not have to worry about me anymore. Life must be so much easier.**_

Before his imprisonment, he had wanted to change, to beome someone free of the bitterness and anger that had led him down the path of destruction he had led, but he was having a hard time holding onto that desire, with no end to his punishment in sight. _**It is hard to be optimistic when you are unwanted by everyone, even those who profess to love you.**_

He heard laughter and turned his gaze toward the sound. Strangely, he could look in every direction, and see everything in perfect clearity. The source of the joyous sound was a small pack of children, playing the small garden where his tree resided. He looked on in sad longing, remembering all the times that he and Thor had played in a similar fashion, large grins and their eyes alight with pure, childish delight. He remembered when he was truly happy.

The children chased each other around him, probably not even realizing what tree they were circling. Loki felt a pang of jealous sorrow in the area that he suspected was his heart. How he long to go back to those innocent days, before everyone hated him; before he was blinded by his jealousy of Thor and the attention and love he was shown. He would gladly take living in his brother's shadow if only he could start over. _**What a fool I am. What good is thinking 'what if' when there is no hope of going back?**_

Soon after, the children ran back out of the garden, leaving him in solitude once again. It was already passed the time when Thor and his friends would normally come, so he didn't count on any appearance by them today.

He had learned that if he tried, he could make the leaves on his branches shake. Every day, he tried to push it further. He never knew that a tree could get tired. _**And I've never wanted to sleep more than now either.**_ It was mid-afternoon when the Warriors Three entered the garden, along with Sif. Thor was not among them. Loki figured that he must be on Earth. Ever since the Bifrost had been repaired using the Tesseract, Thor traveled back and forth between the two worlds quite often. Spending time with that mortal woman, Jane.

Some of Thor's tales involved his adventures and battles on Earth as well. During the past year, the team known as the Avengers had not been reconvened, though, according to Thor, they had all had their own share of new foes to defeat.

Sif and the Warriors had just settled down to rest at the roots of his tree when a commotion could be heard from near the main hall. "What is that?" Fandral wondered, standing up again. The others followed his example. They got their answer when Heimdall marched quickly passed the garden on the walkway toward the hall, calm determination etched on his face. Behind him was a crowd of curious and worried onlookers, all following him, hoping to learn what had given the Watcher cause to leave his post on the Bifrost.

Sif and the Warriors hurried away as well, leaving Loki alone, again. Not that he cared, though he was curious as well. Nothing happened for a long while, so Loki occupied himself by reviewing all of the names of the constellation of the Nine Realms that he had memorized as a child. It was something he had used to use to get to sleep when he was younger, and it had proved a useful method of passing the time during his captivity.

**XXXX**

Heimdall stood before Odin, his expression grimmer than usual. The Allfather was slumping tiredly on his throne, and the Gatekeeper could easily see that the Odinsleep was imminent, though he staved it off valiantly.

"Heimdall? What is it? What have you seen?" Odin asked. At his side, Frigga looked extemely worried at Heimdall's sudden, unannounced appearance.

"My King, a threat approaches." Heimdall said. "A great fleet of starships has entered the space near Asgard. They are heading here as we speak. At their current speed, they will be here by morning."

Odin held out his hand, the one that wasn't clutching Gungnir. Heimdall stepped forward and clasped the hand, allowing Odin to see what he had seen. After a moment of silence, during which everyone gathered in the hall waited with bated breath to hear the Allfather's next words.

Odin's already tired face fell even further as he released Heimdall's hand. He turned to a guard. "Prepare your men, and evacuate the city." He sighed wearily and stood. "The foe that stands at our door is formidable. Too much so, that I fear we will not survive a fight. I want every non-combatant to follow Heimdall to the Bifrost for evacuation." He stepped down from his throne as chaos ensued; some wanted to know what threat could be so powerful that they were forced to leave their homes, others were rushing about, trying to either get out as quickly as possible or find their loved ones.

Odin stopped next to Heimdall. "Send them to Thor, to Midgard." Heimdall nodded and turned on his heel, marching back to the Bifrost to prepare it for the mass exodus that was about to take place. As he walked, he could hear Frigga trying to convince Odin to leave as well, reasoning that he would not be able to fight in his current state and that he was no good to anyone if he was dead or captured. Silently, he agreed.

His sister, Sif, and the Warriors Three rushed passed him. A quick glance back showed him that Fandral and Hogun were on either side of Odin, ready to support him at a seconds notice.

At his back was a crowd of Asgardians, all ready to depart as soon as they reached Bifrost. He could now hear Odin giving orders for the warriors to prepare to guard their escape and hold the Bifrost at all costs.

When they arrived at the gateway, Heimdall placed his sword within the keyhole-like slot and focused the portal toward Earth, aiming toward the area where Thor and his mortal comrades had fought against Loki the previous year. Odin, Frigga, Sif and the Warriors Three were in the first group he would be transporting.

"Heimdall, you are in command. Do not let the gateway fall into the hands of the enemy." Odin said.

Heimdall nodded. "I will not fail you, My King." He then activated the Bifrost and, in a flash of light, sent the first group on their way.

**XXXX**

When something finally did happen, it was not what he had been expecting. There was barely controlled chaos. Guards were ushering civilians, warriors and court officials alike toward the Bifrost, with Heimdall at the head of the progression. What was happening? He grew even more worried when Odin and Frigga exited with Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun, Odin barking orders to guards and soldiers as he went, even as he was being supported slightly by Fandral and Hogun. Not one of them looked in his direction as they rushed passed.

Odin, Loki noticed, looked tired and Loki could only guess that it was nearing time for him to enter the Odinsleep once more. He would be weakened, and ill-suited to face whatever threat Heimdall had detected. But why were they evacuating Asgard?

Hours passed as Loki continued to watch the citizens of Asgard flee. Finally, near nightfall, all was quiet. He wasn't sure if he was the only one left here, but he suddenly felt completely and totally alone. If he could, he would have called out, hoping to hear some response, anything to tell him that he had not been left behind; that he had not been abandoned. But, as it was, he could not so much as whisper.

Night passed, and he saw not a soul. The empty, quiet night gave way to a less than glorious morning. Then, at noon, something blocked out the sun over his head. He shifted his view upward to find countless starships hovering over Asgard and small crafts swooping down into the city, flown by frighteningly familiar forms. He would recognize them anywhere. Chitauri.

_**So, Thanos has come. That explains why Odin and the rest left in such a hurry. If Odin is indeed nearing the Odinsleep, he would be no match for Thanos in his weakened state. I wonder if Heimdall is still guarding Bifrost. **_The thoughts kept pouring in, until another sent a chill through him. _**Where is the Tesseract? Did Odin have the foresight to take it with him? By the Norns, I wish were not trapped here!**_

But he was trapped. Unable to free himself, and at the unknowing mercy of a ruthless enemy. If Thanos decided to just burn Asgard to the ground, his tree might be destroyed along with it, killing him in the process. _**I refuse to die here. Not like this.**_ He tried to fight against the enchantment that held him, but soon discovered that it was a futile endeavor.

An explosion could be heard as the doors to the throne room were blasted to splinters and the advance force of Chitauri rushed into the building. He could only wait and hope that Odin had removed all of the artifacts that were stored in the treasure room, chiefly the Tesseract. Thanos could not get his greedy hands on it.

**XXXX**

An alarm blared in the control room of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, causing Natasha to stop what she was doing and investigate. When she entered, Fury was already assessing the situation. "What do we got?" he asked.

"A massive electro-magnetic disturbance just outside the city. The reading are similar to those taken from new Mexico, sir."

Fury turned to the technician that had spoken. "Similar? How?"

The technician looked up. "It's the same, only stronger."

Fury turned to where Natasha was standing. "Call Stark and get out there. I want to know if this was just some weather anomaly or if we're dealing with something worse."

Natasha nodded and left the room at a run. She jumped into her car a started driving. Before she was even clear of the parking lot the coordinates had be sent to her GPS. She pulled out her phone and speed-dialed Tony. He answered on the third ring. "This better be important, I was a little busy." Natasha could hear Pepper saying something that sound like 'a little?'.

"Stark, Fury needs you to help check out a disturbance nearby. I'm on my way there now, but he doesn't want to take chances."

Just as she said this, a bright, multicolored beam of light lit up the sky. Apparantly Tony had seen it as well. "What the hell was that? No, never mind. I'm on my way." He then hung up.

A few moments later she saw the faint light of Iron Man's thrusters as he sped toward the disturbance. Natasha pushed the pedal lower to the floor, pushing the car as fast as she could safely manage, swerving in and out of traffic. As she was nearing the outskirts of the city, her phone rang. She answered it swiftly after glancing at the caller I.D. "Stark?"

"Agent Romanoff, I think you had better hurry. Your boss is gonna want to know about this." His voice sounded bewildered.

"What is it?" she asked.

Tony didn't answer. "Just hurry and get here."

It took her a few minutes, but she finally arrived at the location on her GPS. During the drive there had been three more flashes of light, and she was anxious to find the source. What she found was completely unexpected. In a field outside the city, was a large crowd of people, all of them dressed in strange otherworldly attire. She got out of her car and ran over to where she could see Tony conversing with a few of the strange people. As she drew closer, she was able to make out part of their conversation. "...and then he says 'if it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now'." Tony told them, causing them to errupt into laughter, well, two of them did, the other's lip merely twitched upward.

One of the people, a man with light blonde hair and a mustache and beard, noticed her and grinned charmingly at her. She ignored him and walked up to Tony. "What's going on? Who are these people? What was that light?"

Tony continued to smile. "Whoa, slow down there. One question at a time. Okay, from the beginning, well not really, I'll answer them in an order that makes sense. Okay, first, this is Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg. Over there," he pointed to another small group. "that's Sif, Frigga and Odin. They're Asgardians."

Natasha felt her jaw drop open. "Asgardians? What are they doing here?"

Tony opened his mouth to answer but stopped before any sound escaped. "You know what, I forgot to ask." He turned to the three Asgardians that he had been talking to while Natasha rubbed her eyes, fighting off a forming headache. _**Why am I not surprised?**_ "Hey, Robin Hood, why are you all here? Shouldn't you all be, you know, up on Asgard?"

A frown replaced Fandral's smile. "Asgard has fallen under attack from a mighty foe. The Allfather is weakened and will soon enter the Odinsleep, so we had no choice but to flee. We could not have won, though it would have been a glorious battle!" He said the last part with a wide grin that was copied by Volstagg, Hogun just grunted his agreement. "But, the Allfather needs us more than ever now, so we came here with him."

Volstagg spoke up next. "Many of our warriors stayed behind to guard our escape and protect Bifrost. Including Lady Sif's brother, the Gatekeeper, Heimdall. He will not let the Bifrost fall without a fight."

Natasha's mind was racing. _**Asgard, fallen? To who? Who could have the power to have one of the most powerful races in the universe running scared?**_ She pulled her phone out and called Fury, quickly filling him in on the situation. "Hold your position. I'm sending some transports to pick you all up." His voice contained barely-concealed confusion.

"Sir, I don't think there is enough room at HQ to hold them all. We'll need an alternate location."

"They can stay with me," Tony said. "I've got plenty of room. We expanded the living areas of the Tower during reconstruction. I should be able to house them all."

"Are you sure you can handle that?"

He looked insulted. "Um, hello, billionaire philanthropist."

"I'll take that as a 'yes, I can handle it'." She spoke back to the phone. "Stark has offered to take them in until better accomidations can be arranged."

"Very well," Fury said. "The transports are on their way. Tell Stark that I'll be sending a few agents to help him out. Consider yourself in charge of that mission detail."

"Yes, sir. When will they arrive?"

"Soon. I'll have them report directly to you at Stark Tower. Report to me if anything goes wrong. Good luck, Agent Romanoff."

"Thank you, sir."

**XXXX**

Heimdall stood atop the Rainbow bridge, gazing up defiantly at the starships that had entered orbit around Asgard. Much smaller ships had entered the atmosphere and were deploying Chitauri into the city streets.

The city itself may fall easily into the hands of enemy, but he would not allow the Bridge to be taken. He would die first.

Behind him stood the legions of Asgard's finest warriors, including Odin's hand-seleted elite guards. Each and every one of them would fight until they drew their final breath and passed to Valhalla.

The first of the Chitauri made their way onto the Bridge and made their way toward Heimdall and his army. Heimdall lifted his great sword and prepared to do battle. He did not give any long-winded speeches to his warriors, nor did he waste time telling them what needed to be done, every man there knew what was at stake and what would happen if they failed.

Blue orbs of energy fired toward them from the strange weapons weilded by the Chitauri, glancing off shields and armor. Heimdall took a few steady steps forward before breaking into a charge.

A deafening battle-cry errupted from the Asgardians as, as one, they surged forward, following Heimdall into battle.

The bridge was narrow, making manouvering difficult, but the Asgardians were trained for tight-ranked. close-quarters combat, unlike the Chitauri, who were more used to arial and long-ranged fighting.

Heimdall's sword severed the head from a Chitauri as he crashed into their ranks, blood spraying out and coating him in a sheen of dark blue. He cut a path through them, leaving a trail of dead enemies in his wake. The battle was on, and they could not afford to lose.

**XXXX**

The sounds of battle could be heard clearly throughout Asgard, carried to Loki's hearing on the soft winds that blew through his garden. Apparantly, he wasn't as alone here as he had previously thought. _**I should have known that neither Odin nor Heimdall would abandon Bifrost without resistance. I wonder how long they can hold.**_

Just a few minutes ago, Thanos himself had made his way passed, and into the main hall of Asgard. Loki had never wanted to kill anyone more than in that moment. Despite everything its people had done to him, he still considered Asgard his home, and he could do nothing but watch as that home fell into the hands of an otherworldly tyrant.

_**Blast this magic! I can't so much as lift a finger!**_ His rage caused the leaves hanging from his branches to shiver violently, knocking a few of them loose to be blown away on the wind.

The sight sparked an idea in his devious mind. If no one would willingly shed a tear for him, perhaps he could make someone shed a tear unwillingly. Pehaps he could make someone cry. He wasn't sure it would work, but it was worth a shot.

He focused all of his efforts on making the leaves on his tree shake. At first, nothing happened, but then, leaves began to break free with the combined force of the wind and his will. He watched as the wind carried the leaves away. They weren't flying towards the sounds of battle, but Odin did not say that the tear had be shed by an Asgardian to work. Any tear would do, as long as it was for him.

Hope flared when a roaming Chitauri stepped into the path of this leaf volley. He watched in seeming slow motion as one of the leaves struck the Chitauri in the eye. The beast let out a small shout and clutched at the now stinging eye. The Chitauri ripped off it's mask and looked in the direction that the leaves had come from, his eye reddened and watering. It growled and lifted its rifle-like weapon and fired a quick shot at Loki's tree. The shot grazed one of his branches, singeing it lightly, causing Loki to wince.

The damage wasn't significant, but the Chitauri seemed satisfied and continued on his way. The leaves on the tree fell still as Loki drooped in defeat. His plan was a failure. He was still trapped and his fellow Asgardians, his comrades in arms, were fighting to defend their homes, and he was useless. Somehow, the thought of being useless stung more than any wound he had ever recieved, even the vicious slam he had endured from the Hulk.

If he had been able to, he would have cried out. He would have yelled, shouted and screamed his frustrations to the skies. But, alas, he could not. He could not do anything.

**XXXX**

Natasha sighed as she fell back into the sheets of the bed she had been provided within Stark Tower. After supervising the transport of the Asgardians to Stark Tower, with Tony going ahead to prepare the place, she had met with the agents that Fury had sent and assigned them to alternating patrols on different floors of the Tower.

She had just finished her own shift and retreated to the room given to her to get a few hours of sleep before she would have to start her next shift. Security was tight, and the Asgardians secured, or as secure as superhuman beings from another planet could be when guarded by mortals of lesser strength than them.

Fury had called to let her know that he had called Thor to inform him of the change in situation. The Asgardian prince was set to arrive the following day, along with Jane Foster and Eric Selvig.

She wasn't looking forward to having more people to watch, but figured that Thor would help keep everything under control.

Also set for the following day, was the meeting between Odin and Nick Fury. Odin had graciously agree to speak to the Director and discuss the circumstances that had brought him and his people to Earth, and what help, if any, they could offer.

She was wary to fall asleep, knowing that all of the reminders of Loki would surely result in the now common dreams of him. But, no matter how hard she fought, sleep was one enemy that she had no ready defence for, and not a moment later, her eyes fluttered shut and her body relaxed. Without her even realizing, she slipped into slumber.

Without fail, the man that had become her near-constant nighttime companion appeared in her minds eye, and, unknowingly, she welcomed him.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed it. As always: review but don't flame. Let me know if you see any mistakes.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	4. Trickster Unleashed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or anything else Marvel.**

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a hard time with some of the personalities. Read and Review!**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter IV: Trickster Unleashed**

**'Standing firm against all odds. We are guarding Asgard's mighty walls. We protect the realm of Asagods. No matter what they send at us, we will never let them fall. We're the guardians! Guardians of Asgard!'**

**-Guardians of Asgaard by Amon Amarth.**

Natasha thrashed about, tangling her bare legs even more in her sweat-drenched sheets. Her hair was plastered to her face and hanging limp and damp against her shoulders. What had started out as a pleasant dream, had taken a sharp turn into a nightmare. A small whimper escaped her as images of the battle for New York flashed through her dreams, everyone of them worse than the last. Then the scene change to a dark room. The darkness faded out to reveal Loki, chained and bound, unable to move, kneeling in the center of a garden. Around him was a magnificent city, its beauty far outshining any of Earth's greatest wonders.

The beauty was shattered when a great blast of energy leveled a large golden structure, the heat spreading flame to the surrounding area. Loki continued to kneel, not moving away from the approaching inferno, though his eyes shone with fear as the all-consuming flames drew nearer to him.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the flames reached his form and engulfed him. A bloodcurdling scream was ripped from his throat as the fires seared his flesh. he collapsed into a burning heap on the ground unmoving.

Natasha sat bolt upright in her bed, her nightshirt clinging to her sweat-covered body. Her breath was heavy, and her heart was racing. She could remember the dream in vivd detail, though she wished that it would have already faded like was the case with most dreams. This had struck a chord somewhere within her, and would not allow her to forget it.

She looked down at herself and sighed. She crawled out of bed and walked to the bathroom connected to her room. she stripped off her dampshirt and tossed it aside. She then went to the sink and turned on the cold water. She put her hands under the stream and cupped them, catching the water within. She was about to toss the water on her face when she caught sight of herself in the mirror that hung over the sink.

The water fell from her hands as reach tentatively reached up and touched her cheek. _**Tears?**_ She was shocked. She had not cried in years, not since she was thrown into the life of a spy and assassin.

What about her dream had caused such a reaction? The image of Loki's burning form flashed acrossed her mind's eye again and she gasped. Her eyes clenched shut and her hands gripped the edge of the sink in a deathgrip. She was snapped out of the vision by a loud knock on her bedroom door. "Agent Romanoff! Agent Romanoff, are you there?" someone called.

"Just a minute!" she called back. She cupped her hands under the water again and splashed it on her face, then dried it with a towel, erasing all evidence of the tears that had stained her cheeks. She then walked out and grabbed a fresh shirt, throwing it on over the tight shorts that she wore.

She opened the door a bit and poked her head out. "What?" she asked the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that was standing outside.

"Agent Barton and Captain Rogers are here, ma'am. Fury told them to report to you upon arrival." He told her. "They're waiting in the main lounge."

She nodded. "I'll be right down."

She ducked back inside her room and pulled on a pair of dark pants. She fixed her hair to at least look presentable, grabbed her equipment and then left the room.

She dismissed the agent and made her way to the lounge area that Stark used when entertaining guests, or at least he would have if he had visitors; today was probably the first time it was used for that purpose. _**Wait, there was the time he met with Loki before the battle**_**.** She bit her lip and pushed thoughts of the Trickster from her mind.

When she entered, her eyes were drawn first to the small set of stair that had sported a bit of broken tile from where Hulk had smashed Loki. The floor had since been repaired. The damage hadn't been that bad, so she had figured that Hulk had held back on the attack. Again she pushed those thoughts away and turned to the three men already in the room. They had not noticed her yet.

"So, let me get this straight: Asgardians are here, in this Tower, right now?" Steve asked Tony, who nodded.

"Right on the head there, Cap," Tony said with a grin.

"Well, that explains why Fury wanted us here. Though, I don't see what we could do to help the situation." Clint said, gazing around the room.

"Clint, you're here to keep an eye on everyone, make sure no funny business is going on." Natasha spoke up, clueing them all in to her presence. "Captain, you're here because of us all, you are the only one that is possibly capable of facing down an Asgardian in combat and surviving, if things get out of hand, we'll need your strength."

Clint frowned. "What do you want me to look for, exactly?"

"Everything and anything. We have no reason to distrust the Asgardians, but I'm taking no chances after what happened last time an Asgardian came here." She gave him a look that said she meant no insult by her words. He nodded, understanding her meaning. "Report to me if you see of hear anything that stands out to you."

"I'll watch them like a hawk." He said. Then he turned to Tony. "Can you get me access to all of the surveillance equipment you have."

"Yeah, follow me, Birdman." Tony led Hawkeye from the room, leaving only Natasha and Steve.

"And what about me, ma'am." Steve asked, feeling slightly awkward taking orders from his teammate and friend.

"I want you to join the others on patrols. Keep your radio on in case somethin comes up."

He nodded and left the room as well. Natasha looked at a clock hanging on the wall and cursed under her breath. It was early morning and she had only gotten a few hours of sleep. She was awake now, however and trying to get more sleep would be a fruitless endeavor. So she turned her radio on and set the frequency. "All agents report in."

She waited until everyone had spoken their positions and the status of the area they were in before heading out to join the patrols until it was time to take Odin to see Director Fury at noon.

**XXXX**

Loki was watching a battalion of Chitauri run past when he was engulfed in a bright flash of light. He groaned when he felt himself fall to the ground. It took a moment for him to comprehend what had just occured. He was free. _**At last.**_

He pushed himself to his feet and nearly fell back down. After so long in the tree, he was unused to moving as a human again. He took a moment to find his center of gravity and refamiliarize himself to his own body and adjust to the knewfound freedom. Idly, he wondered who it was that had shed the tear that ended his sentence.

He called forth the magic within him, and smiled when he felt it respond, basking in the old familiar warmth. He looked around, seeing that he was alone. He took a few experimental steps and grinned when he did not trip. It seemed that his muscles still remembered their functions and he was quickly returning to normal.

A cry was heard and he looked up to see that he had been spotted by the Chitauri. He summoned some magic into his palm and formed it into a dagger of pure energy. He took quick but careful aim and threw the dagger, striking the Chitauri in the neck. It fell from its hovering craft to land, lifeless, at his feet.

The sudden cry of their fallen comrade drew the attention of a nearby unit and they came rushing over to investigate. Loki formed two more daggers and lunged at the new arrivals, slicing through ones throat, while stabbing another through the chest.

He ducked under a wild swing from the third Chitauri and spun around behind it. With a swift and vicious twist, the broke the creature's neck and let it drop, unmoving to the ground. He turned on his heel and threw both of his daggers, felling two more of the group.

He stepped back and took stock of the situation. _**Five down, not counting the first. Just ten more to go. Simple.**_

Another dagger flew from his hand, taking a Chitauri in the neck. He leapt toward them, plunging a dagger into the top of the next alien's head. He twirled, forming daggers as he did, and sliced the throats of two more. He rolled amidst the group, ending in a crouch, then ripped the legs from under a creature before snapping its neck.

The Chitauri scattered away from him, forming a circle around him, weapons aimed and ready to fire. When the first beam of energy flew at him, he twisted out of the way, throwing a dagger as he did, killing the Chitauri that had tried to shoot him. He repeated this process three more time until there was only himself and the leader of the unit left; he could tell that it was the leader by the more intracate design on its armor.

Loki smirked at the Chitauri, letting a bit of malice leak into the expression. THe alien was scared, that much was easy to see. The weapon in its hand fired and Loki focused his magic, disappearing from where he had been standing and reappearing behind the Chitauri.

The creature let out a cry as it felt a searing pain in its chest. It looked down to find Loki's hand and forearm protruding from its body, its still-beating heart clutched in his hand. Another hand wrapped around its throat and Loki's grinning face leaned in close. "Foolish beast."

Loki roughly removed his arm from the Chitauri's body, letting it collapse at his feet. He looked down at the organ in his hand and tossed it away. He then turned his attention toward the palace.

_**I have to make sure that Thanos doesn't get his hands on the Tesseract.**_ He ran as fast as he could toward the throne room. He slowed down when he was just outside and summoned a projection of himself. The projection then slipped through the doors and into the throne room; he himself slipped inside as well, staying hidden in the shadows while his clone walked through the middle of the room.

The room itself was empty, which struck him as odd, considering that he had seen some Chitauri go in this direction and Thanos himself had been here as well; he expected to see the Mad Titan sitting upon the Throne of Asgard as if he were a king worthy of the honor.. _**Something isn't right.**_ Just as he thought this, a blast of energy struck the ground at the clone's feet. Loki banished it while it was masked by the explosion and watched silently from the shadows as a group of Chitauri scurried out to investigate the area. They looked around in confusion when they found no trace of the body.

Loki smirked and gather energy into his hands. _**So, they thought that they'd set up an ambush.**_ Without revealing himself he released a flurry of energy daggers into the group, felling them without a second thought.

He stepped out and approached the throne. Seeing it empty brought back the memories of when he had taken his place on it in Odin's place. He ran his fingers acrossed it, feeling the cool stone. He remembered how it felt to sit upon it, to look out over the people of Asgard, the power he felt, it would be so simple to take that again. He jerked his hand back, as if stung.

"You look for this, do you not?"

He turned around, slowly and deliberately, to see the Other standing in the center of the room, holding the Tesseract. ""I thought I smelled your stench. You stink of cowardice."

The Other growled. "Cowardice? Think before you speak, Asgardian. It is your people that reek of fear! They fled before the might of our forces, our Chitauri."

Loki spoke with mocking curiosity. "Would those be the same Chitauri that were defeated by a handful of mortals from Earth? An army, agaisnt six. Overwhelming odds, and yet, they were slaughtered. Tell me, in what way is your force mighty, except in numbers?"

The Other sneered. Then he smiled. "Time to meet your death."

Loki turned to see the towering form of Thanos standing behind the Throne, a golden gauntlet on his arm glinting in the light. The Mad Titan wasted no time with words and gathered a great sphere of energy into his hand, blasting Loki full-on in the chest.

At the last second, Loki summoned a clone and threw himself out of the way and out of sight behind a pillar. When the smoke cleared, the clone was still standing there, smiling. Loki himself was circling silently around behind the Other, ready to strike as soon as he saw an oppertunity.

The Other stared in furious awe at the unscathed form that stood where Loki had been. He looked to Thanos, who smirked and stepped forward. he waved his arm out, lashing it through the clone. The clone flickered before Loki released the magic holding it and it faded. "Where is he?" The Other asked, whirling in a circle to try and spy the Trickster. "Hiding, like a sniveling cur. What will you do, Loki Laufeyson? We will find you. You cannot hide!"

"Who's hiding?" The whirled around to be met with an energy blade to the stomach. Loki plucked the Tesseract from his hand, feeling its power pulse through him at the very touch. "I'll be taking this back, thank you." He released the blade and let it vanish. The Other fell to the ground in pain. Loki looked up at Thanos, who was grinning like a man gone mad. _**Or a Titan.**_ Loki thought.

Loki began to back away from Thanos, who was now approaching him, energy bulding up in both of his hands. The power he was putting off was enough to make Loki's hair sway as if there were wind. _**So, this is his power.**_

Thanos prepared to attack. "I, Thanos, offer up your life, as a gift to Death."

Loki's eyes grew wide. _**Not like this!**_ He willed all of his magic into being somewhere else. Thanos launched the twin balls of energy at Loki. With a shout, Loki felt himself become intangiable. He closed his eyes and envisioned the Bifrost.

When he opened his eyes, he was staring at the long expanse of the Rainbow Bridge. He cast a glance behind him at the open gates of Asgard and then down at the Tesseract in his hand. He grinned. He then looked back behind him, to the palace where he had just been. There was a large, smoldering hole in the front wall of the palace, where Thanos' blast had struck.

A shout drew his attention to the Bifrost. He ran toward the sound, seeing the rear flank of the Chitauri just ahead of him. Overhead, their flying crafts were performing strafing runs on the Asgardian forces. Over the din of battle he could hear the pained screams of the wounded.

He formed a dagger in his hand and rushed into the fray, cutting into the Chitauri lines from behind. As he cut a path through, he could hear fighting just up ahead of him. He broke through a line of the alien warriors to find Heimdall and a handfull of Asgardians, surrounded. He threw his dagger and formed a second. The dagger he had thrown slew a Chitauri that had been about to blast Heimdall in the back.

The Gatekeeper turned toward him, eyes going slightly wide at the sight of him. Then they widened further when they landed on the Tesseract. "Loki, where did you get that?"

"I took it, from Thanos. I will not allow him to control the Tesseract." Loki cut down another Chitauri as Heimdall swung his great blade, slicing through three at once.

"We must get it out of Asgard." He turned to the Asgardians that were fighting with them. "To the Bifrost!"

Loki and Heimdall fought their way through the ranks of Chitauri, with the warriors guarding their backs. When they reached their own lines, the ranks closed in around them, blocking the Chitauri from further pursuit.

Heimdall led Loki into the Bifrost. Loki sighed. "Get one of your men, send to whereever Odin is, we must get the Tesseract out of Asgard."

Heimdall nodded grimly. "I agree. But I won't be sending one of my warriors. You will accompany the Tesseract to Earth. You have been there before, you can find Our King and your brother."

"How do you know you can trust me?" Loki asked, curious.

"I do not. However, in this situation, I must." Heimdall answered. "Prepare yourself, we have little time."

Loki moved to the portal and waited while Heimdall plac his sword in the slot. An explosion rocked the Bifrost, making Loki look around warily. Then, he was sucked through the portal and towards Midgard.

**XXXX**

Nick Fury wasn't quite sure what he was expecting when he had arranged the meeting with Odin, the King of Asgard, but the tired, haggard man was not it. He carried a golden walking stick at his side and looked ready to collapse at any second. Despite all of this, he held himself with authority, his head held high. His eyes held the wisdom of centuries

"Welcome, sir, to S.H.I.E.L.D." Fury greeted as Odin entered the conference room.

Odin nodded and clasped Fury's hand. "This is quite a...unique fortress you have here."

Fury smiled. "Thank you." He looked passed Odin to the individuals that had accompanied him. "Agent Romanoff, would you and the others please have a seat."

Natasha led Frigga, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun into the room and offered them seats before taking their own. Odin and Fury took their seats as well. "Let's cut to the chase. What exactly bring you and your people to our planet?"

Odin sighed. "War. I am weak and unable to defend my people until the Odinsleep passes."

"What enemy could force you to abandon Asgard?" Natasha asked. She had been wondering that since the previous night.

"I do not know the identity of this foe. He is not of any of the known realms. What I do know is that we would have been defeated." Odin looked sad. "I have been forced to abandon my home. Asgard has fallen."

"And the Tesseract?" Fury asked.

"Likely, in the enemy's hands." Odin answered. "I was more concerned with the safety of my people than the contents of my treasure room." Odin's voice did not hold any regret. "Treasures can be recollected, and cities can be rebuilt. My people, cannot be replaced so easily."

Fury sighed. "And, Loki?"

Silence reigned as Frigga's hand went to her mouth in horror. "He is still imprisoned, on Asgard."

Sif and the Warriors Three exchanged looks. "I'm sure he is fine. After all, the enemy will not be able to find him where he is." Sif assured Frigga, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked. "Where is he?"

"Upon his return, I sentenced Loki to imprisonment. Using the Odinforce, I sealed him within a tree. The only manner in which he may be released is if someone were to shed a tear for him.

Natasha stilled for a second, thinking back to earlier that morning, and the tears that had fallen because of her dream. _**It was the dream, not Loki, that made you cry.**_ She took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.

"And, I take it, no one will do so." Fury pressed.

"No," Odin admitted. "It has been a year since I put him there, and there he has since stayed."

"Then, it seems that we only have one enemy to worry about." Nick concluded. "Should we expect them to come here?"

"I do not think so. The last time they came to this realm, they were met with defeat. However, they were weaker then." Odin closed his eye and took a deep breath.

"You mean the Chitauri?"

"Yes. And their master. It is he that poses the problem. If it were just the Chitauri, we could have easily beat them back. As it is, we were only able to hold the Bifrost."

Any further conversation was cut short when the door burst open to reveal Thor. "Father, what is the meaning of this? Why have you come to Earth?" His words were curious, his voice worried and confused. His next questions died in his throat as he took in the shape his father was in. "The Odinsleep?" he asked his mother, who nodded. "Why are you all here? What of Loki?"

"The Chitauri and their master have attacked Asgard, your father saw it fit to protect his people and take them somewhere safe, hence, they are here." Fury said.

Thor tilted his head. "All of Asgard is here?"

"Not all," Sif said. "Heimdall and the other warriors are defending the Bifrost."

"The Tesseract?"

"Left behind. And most likely, taken." Fury filled in. They were wasting time by going back over everything, but Asgard was Thor's home and he had right to know what had befallen it. "And to answer your other question, Loki is still locked safely away in his tree."

Thor's face took on a determined expression. "We must go back to Asgard and reclaim it. We cannot allow the Tesseract to be taken. If it is, they may come back here. That is something I cannot allow."

Odin stood slowly and placed a hand on Thor's shoulder. "Son, I am too weak at the moment to return to Asgard. After the Odinsleep, I plan to take our home back, but to try and face this enemy now would be futile. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

Thor nodded reluctantly. "I do. Even if they have the Tesseract, it will take them time to harness its power. By then you will have regained your strength. And, the safety of our people is the most important thing."

Odin nodded. "You are beginning to think like a King."

Odin began to sway on his feet before collapsing entirely. He would have hit the floor had Thor not caught him. He held him upright, looking frantic. "Help."

"What's wrong with him?" Natasha asked, worried that the man had just collapsed.

"The Odinsleep," Thor answered. "Every year he must enter the Odinsleep to recharge his power, the Odinforce."

"When will he come out of it?" Fury inquired.

"Impossible to say. It may be a day, a week...No way to know." Thor passed his father off to the waiting hands of Fandral and Hogun. "We must get him to a bed."

"Agent Romanoff, show them to the bunker rooms. He'll be more secure there."

Natasha stood and told them to follow her. She led them down a series of staircases and through a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel was a thick metal door with a I.D. card scanner. Natasha swiped hers through the slot and the door swung open. Inside was a long hallway lined with doors. She led them to far end of the hall, where it turned to lead to a fork, at the end of each of those were common areas and in between the two was a dining area.

She opened one of the doors to reveal a fully furnished bedroom, complete with a connecting bathroom and a closet.

Odin was laid gently down on the bed, his body had started to glow a light gold. Frigga took up position at his side, having pulled the chair from a desk that sat in the corner of the room.

Natasha left Thor and Frigga in the room and made her way, along with Sif and the Warriors, back to the room, where she knew that Fury would be waiting.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope it was enjoyable for you. Review, but do not flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	5. Return to Midgard

**Disclaimer: Avengers - Property of Marvel, along with anything else that is fom their comics that may appear in my story.**

**A/N: Thank you to all that reviewed, your words are what make me want to write more. I don't always have time to reply to your reviews, but I do read them, and they are very much appreciated. I had a hard time getting Hawkeye's personality down, so let me know if I was close. Enjoy!**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter V: Return to Midgard**

**'Laughter echoes through the night. The evening star shines over Midgard. Evil mingles in the dark. The organized cosmos' enemy comes forth. Loke, the son of Farbaute, father of lies. Born of earth, unbound by laws.'**

**-Loke by Enslaved.**

Loki hit the ground with a pained groan. After so long, he was unused to the Bifost's own brand of cosmic travel, and thus, had been unable to prevent a rough landing. Overhead, the sun was shining bright in the early afternoon heat. He squinted slightly before puling himself together and crawling to his feet.

He scanned his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. He laughed when he finally realized where he had landed. _**How ironic. This is the exact spot where Thor and I stod before returning to Asgard. Back in the good old days.**_

He became aware that he was being watched; he could feel eyes on him, boring into his back. He turned to find a small child staring at him, an ice-cream cone, forgotten, in one hand, a look of stunned awe on her face. He smiled and her eyes grew wide. "Hello." he said, trying to be nice. _**Don't scare the child.**_ He raised his hand and waved as he took a step toward her. The sudden movement caused the girl to snap out of her daze and scream. Loki frowned as he watched the little girl run away, her ice-cream left, completely forgotten, on the ground. _**Well done.**_

He sighed and looked down at the Tesseract in his hand. "Well, might as well get a move on." he muttered to himself as he started walking in the general direction of where he remembered the main network of streets being.

Heimdall wanted him to take the Tesseract to Odin, but he suddenly had his doubts. Odin hadn't looked his best, at all, when he had left, so, would the Tesseract really be safe in his care? _**I can protect it just as well as he.**_ He shook that thought away. _**No. I have to be smart. There is strength in numbers.**_ With his mind made up, he resumed his walk, not even realizing that he had stopped.

As he made his way out of the park, he noticed that many of the city's civilians were staring at him, giving him a wide berth, as though he were dangerous. He could see the fear and recognition in their eyes. _**Well, I did try to conquer their home.**_ Instead of letting it bother him, he just grinned at them, which didn't help. _**I could have fun with this. No, I must get the Tesseract to Odin. Nothing is more important than the security of this device.**_

He stepped out of the park and looked around. He took in the people of Earth with perceptive eyes and frowned. He then looked down at himself. _**Better try to blend in. I'm likely to attract the wrong kind of attention dressed like this.**_ He focused his magic and his clothes changed into the same set of Midgardian attire he had worn in Germany the last time he was here. It was a bit more fine a fashion than what was common, but at least he wouldn't stand out as much, in this world.

He contemplated where to go, not knowing where Odin would have gone. His eyes landed on the great monument that was Stark Tower and smirked. _**If nothing else, I can find a familiar face.**_

He pictured the balcony of Stark Tower and tapped into his magic, feeling himself become intangiable. He opened his eyes to find himself just outside the glass door that lead inside to the lounge room that he had spoken to Tony Stark in.

He pushed the door open and strode in confidently. The room was empty at the moment, not that it mattered to him. He marched over to the bar and laid the Tesseract down on its surface. He then grabbed a glass and proceeded to pour himself a drink.

He was taking a long sip of the amber liquid when the door burst open to reveal Clint Barton, gun drawn and aimed directly at his head. Loki nodded to the man, then returned his attention to his drink, effectively ignoring the marksman.

"Put your hands where I can see them." Barton ordered, moving further into the room."

Loki smirked and placed his empty hand on the countertop, in full view, while his other hand continued to hold the glass of liquor. "You can relax, Agent Barton. I come in peace."

Barton did not look convinced. "And I'm supposed to believe that?"

Loki shrugged. "I personally do not care what you believe. But it is the truth."

Barton snorted. "Coming from the God of Lies himself, I doubt it."

Amusement crossed Loki's face. "I even bring an olive branch, sort of." He picked up the Tesseract and held it up for the agent to see.

"Greeks bearing gifts." Barton said skeptically.

"Not quite accurate, I'm not Greek." Loki grinned. Clint frowned, unamused. He did not lower his gun, instead he cocked it.

Loki opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when he heard the machinary that Stark had designed to remove his Iron Man armor activate. "Clint, as much as I enjoy having someone here to welcome me home, my tastes lean more to the feminine side of the spectrum. And the gun, not a good touch." Loki chuckled, hearing these words. Stark heard the laugh and turned to see who it was Clint was ready to gun down. His eyes widened marginally, but he played off his surprise. "Same goes for you, big fella. I appreciate the gesture, but you aren't my type." He sat down in one of the chairs. "Oh, and while you're back there, would you mind making me a drink?"

Loki's smirk never left his face. "I think not. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I so much as reach for something, Agent Barton here will, to use an Earthian phrase, blow me away." He had no doubt that Tony Stark had not fogiven him for the things he had done, and he did not blame him for that. If the roles had been reversed, Loki wasn't sure if he would forgive either.

Tony rolled his eyes. "So, what brings you back here?" he asked, trying to at least be civil as long as the Trickster wasn't attacking anyone, or behaving hostily. "I mean, imagine my surprise when I get a call from S.H.I.E.L.D. asking me to go to central park and investigate another anomaly, only to find reports of a man who fell from the sky was terrorizing little children."

Loki looked down at his shoes. "That was an accident."

Tony cocked his head. "Which part? The falling from the sky, or the scaring kids?"

Barton had watched this exchange with growing frustration. "Can we get back to the problem at hand, or have you forgotten that this guy tried to kill all of us last year?"

Tony frowned. "Of course I haven't forgotten. The bastard threw me through that window over there, in case you don't remember. No offence." He said the last part to Loki.

"None taken. It is techniqually true." The Trickster said, nonchalant.

"And he killed Coulson," Tony concluded. Loki was starting to feel uncomfortable with Stark laying out his sins in such a casual way, as though he were trying to pretend that they had not affected him.

Clint's voice was starting to rise with his ire. "Exactly my point. We should-"

"Do nothing." Loki said. "I've served my sentence. I've been punished for my crimes."

"Not here, you haven't!" Clint growled. By now, his gun was forgotten in his hand, which was now hanging by his side. He was itching to put an arrow through Loki's head, but he did not have his bow with him.

"Alright, guys, let's settle down. I've already had to repair this room once, I don't want to do it again," Tony said. He patted Clint's arm. "Put it away, Birdman." Clint, rather reluctantly, returned his gun to it's holster, though he kept his hand near it and didn't take his eyes off Loki. For his part, Loki continued to sip his drink in a casual manner, a small smirk on his lips. Tony moved around behind the bar, sqeezing past Loki to get to the glasses. "Now, I'm gonna have a drink. You want anything, Clint?" Barton shot Tony a stoney look and went to stand against the wall. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Tony grabbed the same bottle Loki had poured his drink from and poured some into a glass. It was then that he caught sight of the Tesseract. "And I had hoped that I wouldn't see that thing again. But, I'd rather it be here than with S.H.I.E.L.D. or whoever it was that attacked your planet."

Loki turned his head sharply. "How do you know about that?"

Tony shook his head. "I forgot to mention that. Your parents are here, well not _here_, but they are in New York. Fury asked me to check out a beam of light from the sky, and when I got there, I found a Galactic Reaissance Fair in the middle of a field. I spoke to a few of them and, with a little help from S.H.I.E.L.D., I moved them all here."

Loki placed his hand on the Tesseract. "So, Odin is here?"

"Well, at the moment he is off to a meeting with Fury. That was two hours ago. I'm not sure where they are right now, but they should be back soon." Tony took a large swig of his drink.

Clint's phone began to ring and he pulled it from his pocket, glancing at the caller I.D. as he did. He answered. "This is Barton." Loki couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but Clint was frowning even deeper than before. "What does that mean?" More silence. "Oh, I see." Loki tapped his fingers in a bored fashion. "Actually, he's not. He's standing right here in front of me with Stark."

**XXXX**

Natasha felt her insides go cold. Loki was free? He was on Earth? How? The image of herself in the mirror, tear-streaks on her cheeks, flashed before her eyes. She shook her head to clear the memory. _**Get a grip. This is not my doing,**_ She tried to reassure herself. "Hello? Nat, you still there?"

Clint's voice brought her back to reality. "Yeah, I'm here. Um, just keep an eye on him until I get there." She wasn't looking forward to telling Fury about this.

"Not a problem. Oh, and Nat, he also has the Tesseract"

She wasn't sure she had heard right. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm looking right at it. He isn't exactly hiding it."

"Alright. Watch him like a hawk." She commanded.

"That's a horrible pun, but I copy."

They hung up and Natasha made her way to the main control room, where Fury had gone after Odin collapsed. "Director Fury, we have a problem." she said by way of greeting.

He turned his good eye toward her. "What is it?"

"Loki," she answered. "He's been freed and has returned to Earth. And he brough the Tesseract."

Fury turned to face her fully. "Do we know where he is now?" he asked, urgency thinly veiled in his voice.

"Yes, sir. He's at Stark Tower with Stark and Barton. I have Barton watching him, but if Loki decides to go hostile, I don't think they'll be able to stop him." She wrung her hands together, unsure of how to proceed. "I'd like Thor and his friends to accompany me back, we may need their strength."

Fury nodded. "Done. I'll give them a call right now." He pulled a hand-radio out and spoke into it. "Thor, are you there?"

There was a moment of silence, then, "How does this thing work?" That wasn't Thor.

"No, no, like this," another voice said.

"Um, my friends, you are already pressing the button." Thor's voice said.

"Oh, so we are." she recognized the voice as belonging to the blond Asgardian, Fandral. "Here, Thor, it's for you."

The line went quiet as the radio traded hands. "This is Thor. What is it?"

Fury, who had been losing patience, sighed. "Thor, we need you and your friends to come up to the control room, right away."

"Uh, we'll be there momentarily." Thor said. "Do any of you remember how to get back up the way we came?" he asked the others, forgetting to take his finger off the button.

"I'll send someone down to escort you." Fury assured them. He radioed another agent and sent them to collect Thor and the others before turning back to Natasha. "I want the Tesseract out of his hands. If he won't give it to you willingly, take it. I don't want another crisis like last time to happen again."

Natasha nodded. "Understood, sir."

While she waited, she let her mind wander. _**What happens if Loki won't give up the Tesseract? It took all of us to stop him last time, and now, we don't have the Hulk. Hopefully if something goes wrong, Thor will be able to detain him.**_ She sighed. _**How could I have let myself slip like that? I haven't cried since I was nine, and now I may have let a galactic criminal out of his prison. All because of a tear shed in the midst of a nightmare.**_ If she was being completely honest with herself, she would have admitted that there was more to it than that, but she wasn't ready to be _completely_ honest with anyone, let alone herself.

The door to the control room opened to admit Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three; there was also a mousey brunette with them, standing at Thor's side. She could only guess that this was the Jane Foster she had heard about. She hadn't been aware that Fury had let her come along with the Asgardian prince. _**Then again, I don't think he's stupid enough to argue with Thor on the matter.**_

"Thor, I need you and your friends to go with Agent Romanoff back to Stark Tower." Fury told him, as soon as they entered.

Thor was confused. "Has something happened?" he asked.

Fury nodded. "Loki has returned, with the Tesseract. I need you all to go and retrieve it, and make sure that Loki isn't a threat."

Thor's eye's lit up. "Loki is free? But how?"

"We don't know." Fury admitted. "But that isn't important at the moment. What is important is that we get that cube to a secured location. And detain Loki if necessary."

Thor looked up sharply at these words. "I understand your distrust of Loki, but he has taken his punishment. I will not allow him to be locked in a cage like some animal."

Fury held up a hand to stop Thor's outburst. "I said 'if necessary'. We will only lck him away if he proves to be a threat."

Thor did not look happy, but he agreed.

Natasha walked towards the door. "Let's get moving. We've wasted enough time as it is."

**XXXX**

Surtur made his way through the jagged landscape of Muspelheim. He wasn't fully back to power yet and could not yet tap into the magic that connected his realm to the rest of Yggdrasil.

He could feel the world-tree though, and could tell that something was different, somthing was wrong. Still, he continued on his path to Midgard taking the longer route through the pathways of Yggdrasil.

If Earth fell, then Odin would be sure to appear to try and save it. After he killed Odin, the rest of the realms were his for the taking. The Nine Realms would quake with fear under his rule.

**XXXX**

Thanos stood near the top of Odin's palace, on a balcony, looking over the expanse of Asgard. Down on the Bridge, he could see the Asgardians still fighting off his forces. He did not care though, Loki had escaped with the Tesseract, and this attack had been a failure on that front. It had crossed his mind momentarily that both Loki and the Tesseract had been vaporized by his attack, but it was unlikely. The Trickster would not be _that_ easy to kill.

Beside him, the Other stood, fresh from the medical bay of the _Sanctuary II_, he was on the mend. "How long will it take to get to Earth without the Bifrost?" he enquired of his right-hand.

"Weeks at least, to get back to Titan, another week to Earth at full speed." The Other answered.

"The Bifrost is the fastest way, without the Tesseract, but we need to eliminate the gate's guardians." Thanos mused.

"We could, perhaps, get through them quicker if you were to use your power to destroy them." The Other said, casting a glance at the Gauntlet adorning Thanos' arm.

"And risk destroying the Bridge? No, that would only hinder us further. Prepare the ships for departure and return all Chitauri to their stations. At this rate, you will make better time if we simply travel straight to Earth. By the time you reach Earth, Surtur should have weakened it enough for you and our forces to meet little resistance. The _Sanctuary II_ and her crew will stay here with me to occupy the Asgardians and dissuade them from returning. Depart as soon as the preparations are complete."

"Yes, my lord. What of the Chitauri that are fighting on the Bridge? Do we pull them out as well?"

Thanos smiled. "No. Let the Asgardians send them to Death."

**XXXX**

**A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope it was enjoyable. As always: Review, but don't Flame.**

**Until Next Time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	6. Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, therefore I don't own Avengers.**

**A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers. Reviews make writing easier, so I'm always looking forward to reading them. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was hard to write while trying to keep everyone in character.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter VI: Reunion**

**'All non-believers stand aside in fear. A new day's marching through the door. How could you ever think you'd make it here? Did it bleed? Was it sore? Through the struggles you've endured. You've come so far from innocence, provided all the consequence, only what does it matter now? Cause you're going home, you're running free, as only you could be if you never owed them anything. nd now you've found your way out. In the trust you've seen your path on home.'**

**-The Running Free by Coheed and Cambria.**

"Brother!"

Loki turned as the elevator doors opened to reveal Thor and the others. "It is good to see you!" Thor said, embracing a stunned Loki. Tentatively, Loki returned the embrace, though not with the enthusiasm exhibited by Thor.

"Did you miss me?" Loki asked, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

Thor was shocked. "Of course I did! We all did. Mother, Father, everyone."

Loki smiled sourly. "I doubt that." He snuck a look past Thor to Sif and the Warriors.

"We did," Thor asserted.

Loki nodded. "Though, not enough to shed even a single tear to free me."

For Thor, this was not the way he had imagined this reunion. He had hoped that Loki would be happy to see him, and things could go back to normal. It was naive, he knew, but he could not help but hope.

Apparantly Loki thought so too. "This fighting will not solve anything." He sighed. "For what it's worth, I appreciate the efforts." He did not need to clarify on what he meant, they knew. "Where is Odin? I must speak with him."

Thor looked upset. "He has fallen into the Odinsleep. There is no telling when he will come out of it."

"Damn," Loki cursed softly. He looked down at he Tesseract that sat next to him on the countertop.

"I'd hate to break up this little family reunion, but we came here for a reason." Natasha spoke up. While she found their interaction somewhat touching, she had a job to do, and that took precedent over anything else. Plus, seeing Loki in the flesh made her feel vulnerable, along with a few other things that she refused to put names to. She could see Clint watching the Trickster with a keen gaze, his hand resting just above his gun, ready to draw. "Hand over the Tesseract."

Loki, who had been studying her, now that she had made herself known to the whole room, picked up the Tesseract and held it protectively. "And, if I say no?"

"Then I'll persuade you," she answered. She remember saying those exact words in a different conversation, with an idividual that was just as, if not more, dangerous than Loki.

"Really? And how, exactly, would you do that?" he asked.

Her hand went instinctively to her gun, but stopped short. She had heard from Clint and Fury alike, how little effect bullets had on the God of Mischief the last time he had been here. If the stories were to be believed, Loki had taken a full clip from and automatic rifle to the chest and walked away unscathed.

Thor could see this getting out of hand, fast, and decided to put and end to it. "Loki, the Tesseract needs to be kept safe. S.H.I.E.L.D. has the resources we need for that purpose." He hoped Loki would see his reasoning.

Loki shook his head. "I am sorry, Thor, but I cannot allow them to get their hands on this again. Against our enemy, they have not the strength to keep it safe."

"You doubt our abilities?" Clint asked, his voice holding a dangerous edge.

Loki didn't appear bothered, but that didn't mean he wouldn't respond. "Based on what I remember? Yes, I do." He knew he was being unfair, but, at this point, the archer was getting on his nerves.

Clint pushed off the wall, anger clear in his stance. Natasha sought to prevent Loki from painting Stark's walls with her colleague's blood and stepped between the two. "Barton! Stand down!" she ordered.

Clint glared at her for a second before backing off. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am."

Natasha waved it off. She turned to Loki. "Hand over the Tesseract, Loki."

Loki opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Thor. "Loki, if you won't give it to them, then hand it over to me. I will keep it safe, you have my word."

Loki stared up at his brother, gauging his sincerity. For a moment, he did nothing, merely stood there. Then, he acted.

Thor closed his hand around the Tesseract. He met Loki's gaze. A second later the Trickster released his grip on the cube. "I have your word," he said.

It wasn't a question, but Thor felt compelled to answer anyway. "You do. Don't fret, brother. We will guard it with my life."

Natasha could feel a headache forming. But, like Fury, she wasn't going to argue with a god.

"Hogun, Take this to my mother. Tell her not to let it out of her sight." Thor said. The silent warrior stepped up and took the Tesseract in both hands.

Natasha called in another agent and ordered him to drive Hogun back to headquarters. Once he was gone, she sighed in relief. Half of her mission was complete without much difficulty. _**Now, I just have to deal with Loki.**_

Fandral stepped forward to stand next to Thor. He looked Loki up and down. "What are you wearing?"

Loki glanced down at his Earthian attire and smirked. He had forgotten about that. "I figured such a high-class establishment required a more refined state of dress," he joked.

Tony, who had stayed quiet throughout the entire encounter looked around and muttered something that sounded like 'High-class, huh?'. He then shrugged and went back to his drink.

Loki continued to grin. "But, it seems that I am overdressed." He left his clothing morph back to his usual look.

Now that things seemed to have settled down, Thor sat down on a couch, followed by Jane, who was silent. She appeared to be slightly overwhelmed, being in a room with Thor, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, a famous billionaire genius, Sif and two-thirds of the Warriors Three, and Loki. So many being of much greater importance, intelligence and power than her, it was a bit daunting.

"What I want to know," Volstagg said, "is, how did you get out?"

Loki cast his gaze toward the large warrior. "I assume that someone must have shed a tear for me, how else could I have gotten out?" He adressed the question to the room at large. Thor looked confused and Jane seemed just as lost. Fandral looked thoughtful, and Volstagg was just curious. Stark had no idea what they were talking about, so he stayed quiet. Clint was in the dark as well. When Loki's gaze reached Natasha, something stood out to him. She looked almost...guilty.

Natasha bit her lip and looked down. She was trying not to think that it was her fault, but she was having a hard time with that task. _**What are the chances?**_ _**Okay, let's go over the facts. Loki was imprisoned in a tree, and could only be released if someone were to shed a tear for him.**_ Images of her dream flashed before her eyes, followed by the memory of herself with tears in her eyes. _**And just this morning I cried during a dream of him.**_ She bit her lip harder, hoping the pain would push the thoughts away.

When she looked back up, she found Loki looking at her. There was a hint of something in his eye, but she could not place what it was. She looked away again, unable to hold his gaze.

Loki smirked and turn away from Natasha, looking, instead, to Thor. "I can't imagine that the Tesseract was the only reason you were sent here. Tell me, what has S.H.I.E.L.D. asked of you this time?"

Thor shot a quick look at the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the room before speaking. "They want to determine if you are a threat," he answered truthfully. He wasn't going to lie to his brother.

Loki chuckled. "Of course they do. Tell me, what is to happen if I am deemed as such? Wait, let me guess. They want to lock me up." He nodded to himself. "Because that worked out so well last time." He smirked as he walked behind the counter of the bar where Stark was still standing, and poured himself another drink.

Natasha ground her teeth, and Clint clentched his jaw and his fist at the reminder of Coulson's death and the other events related to Loki's imprisonment.

Loki sighed and put his glass down, then placed his hands palm-down on the countertop. "I have no plans to conquer Earth at this time. Is that a good enough answer for you and your boss?" He aimed the question at Natasha and Clint.

Natasha crossed her arms. "It'll have to be," she said.

Loki nodded. "Good. What happens next?"

Natasha let a light smirk quirk her lips. "I take you to see Director Fury for questioning."

Loki looked down at the amber liquid in his glass and swirled it about in a small circle. "Oh, goody," he murmered before downing the liquor in a single gulp. Then he put the glass down. "Well then, we had best not keep such a pleasant individual waiting." He walked passed her toward the elevator. "Shall we?"

Natasha sighed and followed. Tony looked after them. "He kinda grows on you doesn't he?" he quipped.

Thor and Jane stood up to follow them as well. "You have no idea." Fandral said, trailing after Thor with Sif and Volstagg behind him. They needed to get back and stand guard over Odin.

Tony looked at Clint, who was still standing against the wall. "You want a drink?"

Clint just sighed and left the room as well. He wasn't very happy with the way things had gone. He still wanted to get back at Loki for the things that he had made him do while under his control.

Tony, now alone, shrugged. "I'll take that as a 'no'," he said to no one. "I'm gonna have one, though." He then proceeded to refill his glass and take a sip of it. "Ah, good stuff."

He looked around the empty room and sighed. "JARVIS! Deploy the Mark VII. I want some shawarma."

**XXXX**

Loki looked across the table at Nick Fury, who gaze back with his eye narrowed. They had been sitting in silence for a few minutes already. Also present were Natasha, Thor and Steve Rogers, who had been called back to HQ just after they had left.

"This place isn't as nice as your flying base. Less...impressive." Loki finally broke the silence.

Fury sighed and blinked a few times. "I don't have time for games."

"Then why were we all just playing the quiet game, then?" Loki asked, innocently.

"We weren't. We were waiting for you to share what you know." Natasha told him.

"What's the 'quiet game'?" Steve asked.

Loki laughed. "Oh, this is good. Thor, you win!"

Thor shook his head while everyone else tried not to get angry. "Loki, do you know anything about the enemy that attacked us?"

"Odin said that it was the Chitauri and their 'master'." Nick Fury supplied, trying to coax Loki into talking.

Loki let the smile slip from his face. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He had surrendered in order to try to make a new start, yet here he was, acting like he always had. He sighed. "This information is correct." He opened his eyes. "And it is cause for worry."

Natasha shifted and leaned forward with her elbows on the table at Loki's sudden change in mood. Fury nodded. "What can you tell us about them?"

Loki stood and began to walk around the table. "The Chitauri are a violent race. War is their primary function; they know nothing else. They take their commands from a being known as the Other. He is a go-between for Thanos and the Chitauri. He has power near that of an Asgardian, but he is no match for our might. Before I escaped from Asgard, I wounded him."

Fury nodded and looked to the recording device in his hand, making sure that it was still going. "You mentioned a name before; Thanos. Who is he?"

"I don't know much about him." Loki admitted. He seemed unhappy about that fact.

Thor joined the conversation. "Tell us what you, Loki. Even the smallest detail could give us an advantage."

Loki nodded and returned to his seat. "He is known as the Mad Titan. He hails from a civilization on the moon Titan that orbits the planet Saturn here in your galaxy. Of course, he does not represent the race as a whole. He fancies himself a warlord, a conquerer. It was he who supplied me with my army." he let out a breath. "I have met him on only a few occasions. My impression is that he has power, he has intelligence, he has physical prowess. Overall, he is a formidable foe that neither Thor nor I could face alone." Thor looked ready to protest. "Believe me, I have tried."

Steve looked interested by this. "What happened?"

Loki smiled grimly at he super-soldier. "I barely escaped before being vaporized."

Natasha let her mouth drop open. "How is that even possible?"

"He has something that is amplifying his power. A gauntlet of some type." He looked to Fury. "As long as he has that, we stand no chance. But how to get it away from him?" he asked himself quietly. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, that is all I know."

Fury nodded and clicked off the recording device. "Thank you."

Loki stood, along with everyone else. Fury made to leave. "And one more thing," Loki spoke up.

Fury turned back. "Yes?"

"I would like my sceptre returned to me." Loki said.

Fury cast a glance at Natasha, she nodded. "I think that can be arranged. I'll have someone take you down to the lab to pick it up."

"Thank you."

Fury seemed surprised, but brushed it off. "No problem." he exited the room without a further word.

A second later Loki was lead from the room by a lower level agent.

After he was gone Steve went to stand next to Thor, who had been watching his brother. "I don't understand. Why is he being so helpful?"

Thor shook his head. "You can never be sure with Loki. It could just be another scheme of his, but I doubt it. Most likely, he is desperate to defeat Thanos, and if cooperating with us can help him achieve that, so be it."

"So, once Thanos is defeated, he'll go back to being evil?" Steve asked.

Thor laughed. "No, no. no. Loki was never evil. He doesn't have it in him."

"Doesn't have it in him? You remember what he did last time he was here?"

"Of course I do, I remember every battle I have fought. But I know my brother." Thor looked toward where Loki had gone. "There is something broken in him. Whatever it was, drove him to commit the vicious acts he performed here. I think that, perhaps, he is looking to fix himself, and he believes that helping us may help him on that quest."

Steve didn't look convinced, but shrugged it off. "Whatever you say."

The two men left the room, leaving only Natasha sitting at the table. She had been listening intently to their conversation, and her mind was racing. She wasn't sure what Thor had meant by something being broken in Loki, but she had some idea; after all, she was no saint herself.

She felt somewhat hypocritical. After all the things she had done in her life, who was she to judge anyone? She also understood the need for redemption; for a second chance. For her, Clint had been the first to grant her that oppertunity. Then, S.H.I.E.L.D. welcomed her into their fold and she finally felt that she had a purpose; that she belonged. _**Loki only has Thor to support him. Those two are brothers in all but blood, but will that be enough to keep Loki on this new path?**_ She wasn't sure, but in the future she would attempt to help him in that endeavor as best as she could. _**After all, if I could have a second chance, so should Loki.**_

With that in mind, she stood up and left the room. She would soon have to return to Stark Tower. When she reached the lobby area, she found only Thor. "Where'd Steve go?" she asked.

Thor turned to face her. "He just left. He said he was going back to the Tower."

She nodded. "We'll be heading back soon. Are you coming?"

Thor shook his head. "Not yet. I wish to stay here a while longer."

She nodded. "Alright."

She walked out to the parking lot and started up her car. But, instead of putting it in drive and going back to the Tower, she turned the car back off and headed back inside the building.

**XXXX**

Loki followed the agent into a lab deep inside the underground structure that was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York headquarters. The poor agent was terrified of Loki, having been on the Hellicarrier, playing Galaga, when Loki and his forces had unleashed havoc upon them. Being alone in the same room with the man had him near petrified.

Loki had noticed this and found it greatly amusing. He considered having some fun with the man's fear, but, in the spirit of comradery, he refrained. At the far end of the room, on an illuminated display table, the sceptre sat, ready for him to wield once more.

He walked to it and ran his fingers over the smooth golden surface, gently carressing it. He then grasped the sceptre and lifted it from the table, angling so that the light reflected of the blade. He could not stop the grin that came to his lips. _**Back where you belong.**_

He was about to turn away, when an open file on the table caught his eye. He pulled it toward him and read what was on the top page, then began to flip through the others. It appeared to be designs for both long and short-ranged weaponry using technology based on the spear's workings. Somehow they had tapped into the power of the small crystal-like orb that was situated within the sceptre and harnessed its energy. But, he knew the nature of humans. These weapons, created for the right reasons, would fall into the wrong hands and end up being used for all of the wrong reasons.

"The council wanted to continue Phase 2 without the Tesseract. Your sceptre was the only source we had left." Loki looked over his shoulder at the red-headed ex-Soviet and frowned. "Fury didn't think it was a good idea, but they went over his head, like they always tend to do when he defies their wishes." She had walked over to stand near him. "They wanted Stark to mass-produce these for them, but, he refused."

Loki wasn't sure what this woman was up to; perhaps she had been sent to spy on him, or to see if he was withholding information. He recalled the memory of their meeting while he was in the cage build to contain Banner. She had expertly tricked the Trickster. She had pretended to play right into his hands, only for he himself to lured into the trap and mistakingly reveal what he had planned. _**I must be careful with this one.**_

"He is a smart man." Loki responded to her words. "He knows better than to leave weapons such as these lying around for people with less pure intentions to take."

"People like you?" she asked.

He turned to glare sharply at her, only to find that she appeared genuinly curious about his motives. He let some of the fire fade from his gaze. "No, not like me. People far worse than me." He closed the file. He then turned and began to walk toward the exit. In the doorway, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "You can safely tell you boss that you, nor anyone else, have nothing to fear from me." With that, he was gone.

He knew that none of them truly trusted him, no matter how much they tried to pretend otherwise. Thor, for all of his faults, seemed to be genuinly happy to see him again. He wasn;t sure that he deserved such devotion from anyone, least of all his own family, whom he had not only hurt, but he had let down in the worst possible ways. He let his magic cary him out of the underground bastion and off to an area that he hoped he would not be bothered. He had some thinking to do.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Let me know what you think. Review, don't flame.**

**Inntil neste gang. (Until next time).**

**-Atrocity.**


	7. Blood Brothers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, or anything else owned by Marvel.**

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot. I do read them all, even if I don't reply to them. This chapter has a slightly different tone to it, so let me know how I did. Enjoy and Review.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter VII: Blood Brothers**

**'Brother, my brother, tell me: what are we fighting for? We've got to end this war. We should love one another. Oh, can't we just pretend this war never began. We can try, brother, my brother. We face each other from different sides. The anger burns, can't rememver why. It's kind of crazy to cause so much pain. Our foolish pride makes us hate this way. We watch our world fall apart. Tell me: what good is winning when you lose your heart?'**

**-Brother My Brother by Blessid Union of Souls.**

A cold wind blew over Stark Tower, whiping through his hair and causing his long coat to billow out behind him. He gazed out over the New York skyline, illuminated by the rising sun. His blue-green eyes took in the sight with appreciation. The atmosphere in this realm may not be as clean and clear as that of Asgard, but despite humanity's seeming determination to assure otherwise, there was beauty to be found throughout Midgard.

He had spent the night up on that highest point, pondering the events that had led him to this very moment. He was saddened to find that the bitterness that he felt for Thor had manifested itself at an earlier age than he originally believed. He had taken up the practice of sorcery as a way to finally beat his elder brother at something, and he had excelled. Unfortunately, he did not recieve the recognition and respect that he had expected. Mages and other magic users were not well respected amongst the Asgardian people, who valued strength, mastery of arms and skill in combat over all else save for their own personal honor.

In the world of warriors, the second son of Odin was seen as weak and cowardly since he prefered to engage his enemies either from a distance or with some form of magic, often implimenting some form of trickery into his technique. Behind his back they called him a cheat and a coward for defeating them in a less-than-straightforward manner. Many a time, Thor had to defend his honor against others, which led to further ridicule. Not only was he a cheat, he needed his brother to fight his battles for him.

He knew that Thor meant well, and never intended to make Loki feel worse than he already did; after all, he only wanted to help. That is what brothers do: they look out for their younger siblings and stand up for them when no one else will. At the time, Loki had not been able to see that. _**As these Earthlings say: hindsight is twenty-twenty, whatever that means.**_

It was from that time on that he started taking every oppertunity to cause mischief, for anyone. No one was off limits to Loki's schemes, particularly not Thor. Looking back, he had behaved childishly, for so long.

His need to make odin proud, a quest that led to him nearly destroying Jotuneim, and led him to setting the Destroyer after Thor, nearly resulting in his death. It was this memory that haunted him more often than not. Seeing himself in his mind's eye, acting so cold and uncaring as the Destroyer, with but a single blow, almost snuffed out his one and only true friend in all the Nine Realms.

But, his regrets and shame did not end there. No, they continued for quite some time. Seeking out Thanos, promising him the Tesseract in exchange for an army to conquer Earth, all to spite Thor for, as he put it, 'imagined slights'. The near destruction of the very city he now resided soon followed. Again, he had sought to hurt Thor further by placing Eric Selvig under his control. He had seen selvig through the Destroyer's eyes, along with that woman, Jane. He would have gone after her too, but she was expertly hidden by S.H.I.E.L.D. before he could learn of her whereabouts. _**That was probably for the best.**_

He remembered the scream of outraged despair when he had killed Agent Phil Coulson. Yet another death that he had on his hands. _**It appears that Ms. Romanoff's ledger isn't the only one that is dripping red,**_ he thought sadly. _**And I know that I shall never be able to wipe it out.**_

Then, during the battle, he had again tried to kill Thor. When he failed, he was secretly relieved. He suspected that he did not have it in him to kill Thor. In the past, he would have bereated himself fiercly for such sentiment, but now, he just wished that he would wake up and discover that it had all been a bad dream. A nightmare of cosmic proportions. But, that would not happen.

He sighed and looked down at his hands. Hands that had taken life, spilled blood. _**Agent Romanoff was correct in her assessment of me. I am a monster.**_

"You look like someone just kicked your puppy."

Loki looked over to his left to see the lord of the manor himself, Tony Stark. "I was...thinking." he looked back out over the city.

"You must have a lot on your mind then, Clint said you've been out here all night." Tony said as he came to stand next to Loki. "Want to talk about it?"

Loki didn't understand this man. He had every reason to hate him, and yet here he was, offering to listen to his problems. Much like a friend would do. _**Or a brother.**_ Loki was unsettled by that thought. He was so used to pushing people away that he wasn't sure how to respond. "I would not even know where to begin."

Tony shrugged. "Well, generally we start from the beginning. It's kind of a universal thing that most stories start there."

Loki laughed softly. He could appreciate the sarcasm that this man used. But he could be sarcastic as well. "I was born in Jotunheim about two-thousand years ago..."

Tony held up a hand. "Um, if we're starting that far back, I'm gonna need some popcorn and a drink."

Loki chuckled. "You said to start at the beginning."

Tony nodded. "I meant at the point where things started going wrong."

Loki sighed and nodded. "Very well, I was born in..." he caught the eye-roll that Tony gave him and smirked. "All joking aside though, I'm not so sure talking will fix anything."

"You never know. I think we have a lot in common, you and I." Tony took a seat on the edge of the building, with the balcony below him.

Loki frowned. "How so?"

"Well," Tony began. "I've spent my entire life trying to break out of the shadow of my father's legacy. You have done the same with Thor. Always second best to the brother that everyone loves. We've both struggled to get people to see us as our own man. Not just Howard Stark's son, or Thor's little brother. You see where I'm going with this?" Loki nodded, understanding what Tony was trying to say. "Now, what's eating at ya?"

Loki sighed. "It has to do with Thor, and the rest of my family." He paused, not used to telling others of his innermost thoughts. "After all the things I've done, I don't see how they can ever forgive me."

Tony looked thoughtful. It was unnerving to see the usually upbeat and snarky billionaire so serious. It harkened back to when he had 'threatened' Loki in the room just below them. "Well, I can't speak for them, but I wouldn't count out the years of familial love that you've all shared. Parents don't give up on their children that easily, believe me, I know."

"Odin sealed me in a tree for a year. Does that sound like the actions of a loving father to you?" Loki asked.

Tony made a face, much like a grimace. "Tough love?" He clapped his hands. "I don't know. Odin and your mother are new to me, but I do know Thor. I can tell that he still cares about you. To him, nothing has changed. You're still his brother in his eyes. If I was in your shoes, I'd take what I can get."

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." Tony stood back up and patted Loki on the shoulder. "Glad I could help. If you need anything else, consulting hours are between eight and five every other tuesday. Thursday's off limits though, I already have clients then." He started to walk back to the stairs that lead down to the balcony. Loki watched him go with an amused smirk on his lips. When Tony reached the stairs he stopped and turned around. "Are you really two-thousand years old?"

Loki grinned. "Somewhere around that age. After so long, I have lost track. Not that it matters. By Asgardian standards, I am still young, only just a man."

Tony laughed. "Geez, and I thought Steve was old." He turned back around and continued back down the stairs, leaving Loki alone again.

Loki turned his gaze back to the sunrise. He didn't understand why a few of his former enemies were being so friendly with him.

It wasn't just Stark. Romanoff had been acting less hostile toward him as well. When he had first arrived, she had exhibited resentful indifference. Then, just a couple of hours later, she had acted as though she were trying to measure him up. To see what type of person he was. It worried him a bit, but he had sensed no ulterior motives behind her actions. Then there was also his suspicions about how he had been freed from the tree. She had looked strangely guilty when he had mentioned that someone had to have shed a tear for him in order for him to have been released. _**I wonder why. Could it be that she had shed the tear? If so, then why? What reason could she possibly have to cry for me?**_ All of these questions and more plagued his mind, and he was no closer to answers than he had been when the questions had first cropped up.

Hours passed in silence as he continued to ponder over the doubts that ran through him. By now, the sun had reached its mid-day peak and its warmth felt hot on his skin. Still he did not move from beneath its rays. What would redden and burn the flesh of mortals had no effect on him.

"Loki?"

The God of Mischief sighed. He knew that voice. He had hoped for more time to sort out his problems before approaching him, but it seemed that the Norns had woven a different fate for him this day. "Hello, brother."

Thor appeared surprised. "Brother? You have not called me such in a long while."

Loki smiled bitterly. "I have been a fool for a long while."

Thor stepped forward. "What talk is this? You have never been a fool, Loki. Over-ambitious, arrogant and bitter perhaps, but never a fool."

Loki scoffed. "Your faith in me is astounding." He sighed. "No, Thor, I have been a fool, for trying to be something I am not." He let out a deep breath, "A king." Thor opened his mouth to speak but Loki continued before he could utter a word. "You said so yourself, the throne would suit me ill. I do not have the qualities needed to rule. That is your destiny, not mine."

Thor stepped up to Loki. "What are you saying?"

Loki steeled himself and took a breath. "I am trying to say, that I hope, in time, you can find it in yourself to forgive me...for everything." He looked away from Thor. "I know that an apology will never be enough to right the wrongs I have visited upon so many, but I felt that I should do so anyway."

Thor nodded. "You are right. Apologies cannot make things right." Loki looked down at his boots, feeling sorrow well up within him at Thor's words. "However, it is a step in the right direction." Thor placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You are my brother, and I will stand beside you every step of the way, Loki. You aren't alone." He held out his hand. "Brothers?"

Loki looked down at the hand and smiled. He reached out and clasped Thor's forearm, feeling Thor's hand wrap around his own. "Brothers."

Thor pulled Loki into an embrace, and Loki, after a second of hesitation, returned it. Thor was right. He wasn't alone.

**XXXX**

Natasha watched the two brothers embrace atop the Tower. She had decided that she was going to give Loki a chance, and had come to seek him out. What she had found was a unexpected but not unwelcome. _**Seems I'm not the only one ready to give him a second chance.**_

Standing there, she felt oddly like an intruder. This was a private moment between family members, and she was an outsider. _**Maybe I'll come back later.**_ She turned to leave but found her path blocked. "Clint? What are you doing out here?"

Clint frowned. "I was going to ask you the same thing." Natasha knew that Clint would not forgive Loki easily, and to be honest, she hadn't forgiven him yet either, but where she was willing to give a second chance, Clint was not.

"I was going to speak with Loki." Natasha admitted. There would be no point in lieing to Clint; he knew her too well for that to work; he would see right through her in an instant.

Clint's frown deepened. "He can't be trusted Nat, not after everything he's done. I know that Thor and, to an extent, Tony, believe that he has changed, but I don't buy it." His eyes hardened. "No one, especially people like him, changes like that. For someone like him, that darkness never leaves!"

Natasha grit her teeth. She knew that he hadn't meant the words that way, but they still struck a chord inside her. "Are Loki and _I_ that different?" she asked. "How can I be excused, when he cannot? We've both committed atrocities in our time, as have you. What makes me worthy of redemption, and not Loki?" She was starting to get angry, and was having a hard time holding it back.

Clint sighed. "You know that I didn't mean it like that," he said.

Natasha nodded. "I know. But the point still stands. What makes us so different?"

Clint was silent. But, he wasn't the one to answer. "Because, I am not human. And, neither of you hurt those closest to you. I did." They both looked up at the Trickster, standing at the top of the stairs, Thor beside him. Natasha was waiting for him to continue; Clint was glaring at him. "That is the answer, is it not Agent Barton? I cannot be forgiven, be cause I hurt my own friends and family, along with yours. I made it personal."

Clint continued to glare daggers at Loki. "You did much more than that." He didn't elaborate his words, and instead returned the way he had come. At the base of the stairs he stopped and turned around to face them once more. "You may have the others fooled, but not me. I'll be watching you. You'll slip up, and when you do, everyone here will see you for what you truly are."

Loki smirked. "And what would that be?" he asked.

Clint looked him in the eyes. "A monster." With that he went back inside.

The smirk had slipped from Loki's face, leaving behind a frown. He felt a swell of anger accompanied by a pang of regret. Thor didn't look very happy either and his hands clenched into fists. For her part, Natasha had her eyes closed trying to stave of a headache. Clint's openly aggressive stance toward Loki was going to be hard to surmount. Her loyalty was now torn. On one hand, there was the loyalty to her friend and ally, and on the other was Loki whom she had just chosen to support and allow to prove himself. _**What do I do now?**_

Loki seemed to notice the conflict going on within her. "Agent Romanoff, you owe me no favors," he told her, pure and unadulterated honesty and sorrow in his voice.

Natasha looked up at him, taking in the haunted gleam in his eyes. She made up her mind then and there. "I know. But, I've made up my mind." She met his gaze. "Second chances are something I know well, and I'm worthy of one, then so are you." She smiled lightly.

Loki nodded, somberly. "Thank you, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha nodded as well. "You're welcome. And, please, call me Natasha."

Loki felt a ghost of a smile grace his features. "Then, thank you...Natasha."

**XXXX**

Heimdall let his swordtip rest against the surface of the Bridge. They had a moment of respite. The Chitauri had fallen back to regroup, and he had ordered his weary and scattered warriors to do the same.

He stood tall and proud, conveying an image of power and an illusion of unwavering strength. His example was soom followed by those closest to him, then spread through the ranks until his entire force was on their feet and ready to charge right back in.

"For Asgard!" he said, lifting his sword into a ready position.

Quickly the call went up, shouted as one by his warriors as they beat their sword and spear handles against their shields. "FOR ASGARD!"

The Chitauri who stood against them were worn out and ready to collapse. At the sight of their enemies in such high spirits, their morale dropped even further and a few looked ready to flee.

In a wave of screamed battlecries and bloodstained armor, the Asgardian charged forth, crashing into the Chitauri lines with a resounding clash that was like thunder to the ears. The Chitauri fell in droves and began to flee, a few even going so far as to throw themselves off the Bridge into the waiting waters that would carry them out into the abyss below.

Heimdall fought like a man possessed, lopping off the heads of his enemies left and right as he mowed them down. When the last of them fell, he breathed heavily and raised his sword in triumph. A cry of joy went up from the ranks and the warriors clapped each other on the shoulders, congratulating each other for a battle well-fought.

Heimdall lowered his sword and turned his sights to the gates of Asgard. Beyond those gates, more foes would lay in wait. As much as he yearned to take back the city, he could not leave the Bifrost unguarded. Until such a time that they had the forces to both protect Bifrost and retake the city, he would not mount a full-scale incursion beyond the gates. He turned and began to march back to the Bifrost. "Back to the Gateway. We must hold it at all costs. Rest and tend to your wounds."

The warriors didn't argue, they needed rest desperately. And so, they followed Heimdall, trusting in his wisdom. The time would come, but this was not the day.

**XXXX**

**Another down. I know that I'm portraying Clint as a bit of an asshole, but don't think that I don't like him, because I do. But, I don't figure that he would let Loki off the hook very easily after what had happened. Well, as always: Review, but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	8. The Proving Ground

**Disclaimer: Marvel owns Avengers and any other character from their Universe that may appear.**

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, my friends. I'm unsure of this chapter as there is a short subplot starting in this chapter (CAMEO ALERT!) to add a bit of excitement before the real battles begin later, and to show that there is a bigger Marvel Universe out there taking place at the same time. I hope it doesn't seem too out of nowhere. Either way, I hope you enjoy. If you haven't reviewed Chapter 7, make sure you do that before this one. Thank you.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter VIII: The Proving Ground**

**'You can tell the same lie a thousand times but it never gets any more true. So close your eyes once more and once more believe that they all still believe in you. Just one time.'**

**-Redneck by Lamb of God.**

"Wake up,brother!" Thor called out, entering the room in Stark Tower that Tony had provided for Loki. "Come, time to start the day!"

Loki groaned and threw an arm over his eyes, trying to block out the morning sun that shone in through an opening in the thick, dark curtains that covered the window. "Have I ever told you how grating your voice is when heard this early?" Loki asked, not bothering to look at Thor.

Thor snorted and walked over to the window. "Countless times."

Loki peeked out from under his arm. "Then one more time shouldn't hurt." He glared. Thor grinned and threw open the curtains, filling the room with sunlight. Loki let out a pained, gasping cry and turned away, pulling the blankets over his head to protect his eyes, sensitive from having just awoken. "Damn you!"

Thor laughed and stepped over to the bed, grabbing the blanket and yanking it off his brother's face. He was met with an irritated glare from Loki. "Come, brother, the day is young and we have lost time to make up for."

Loki sat up and sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I would have thought that you would be at Odin's bedside." He stood up and transformed the simple pants that he wore to bed back into his regular clothes. "I suppose there is no use arguing with you."

Thor was still grinning. "Has it ever worked before?"

Loki smirked at this. "No, it has not. You are too pigheaded and stubborn." He fixed his bed, using his magic to return the sheets and blanket to their original place. "So, brother, what did you have in mind?"

Thor clapped Loki on the shoulder. "We cannot even hope to retake Asgard until Father wakes; I figure we should take that time to unwind. We are going out into the city, there is much to this world you have not seen."

Loki grimaced. "I am not so sure that would be a good idea." He thought back to when he had arrived, the way everyone had looked at him, recognizing him as the evil being that had invaded their home. _**All we need is a full-scale riot because Thor wants to go sightseeing. **_It was then that he noticed that his brother was wearing Midgardian clothing, consisting of a dark shirt and pants, in place of his armor.

"Nonsense!" Thor said. "It will be fun. Sif and the others are coming as well. It will be like old times."

Loki arched an eyebrow, frightened by that wording. "I hope not. I seem to remember the 'old times' being when you would run off in search of adventure and battle, forcing me to follow in your wake and try to keep you out of trouble. If memory serves correct, I nearly always had to then get us out of whatever bind you had gotten us into."

Thor frowned. "Really? Name one time that things happened the way you say."

Loki was thoughtful for a second. "Uh, how about the time we stowed away aboard the _Thunder Runner_ when Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg left to explore Jotunheim. When they stopped at that tavern, you started a fight, and I had to get us out."

Thor pointed at Loki. "I seem to recall that you started that fight by making that wolf creature spill his ale all over himself with your magic."

Loki shook his head. "No, no. I only did that after you stole his ale off that barmaid's tray."

"But the confrontation had ended there. We would not have had to fight if you had stayed your hand," Thor pointed out.

Loki waved the comment aside. "Mere details." He smiled. "The point of this is, whenever we go on trips, trouble follows us."

Thor laughed. "No brother, you are mistaken."

Loki was confused. "How so?"

Thor continued to smile. "Trouble doesn't follow us, it follows you, God of Mischief!"

"Oh, so you're going to pull that card, eh?"

"Most definitely."

A comfortable silence settled over them. Thor grinned down at Loki while Loki shook his head at the familiar feeling of these age-old arguments. After a moment he morphed his Asgardian clothing into his Midgardian attire. "Shall we?"

Thor nodded and they made their way down to the lobby of the Tower. While they were walking, Loki became aware of a satchel-like bag hanging from Thor's shoulder. "Brother, what on Earth is that?"

Thor patted the bag with a smile. "Jane suggested it as a way to conceal and carry Mjolnir while amongst mortals. This way, I am never without it and I don't draw attention."

Loki nodded. "Ah, I see." _**At least someone with some intelligence is around to keep him from blundering about.**_

When they arrived in the lobby, Sif and the Warriors Three were waiting, all dressed in Earthian styles, along with Jane and Natasha. Jane looked between the two and raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was a casual outing," she whispered to Natasha.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent shrugged. "It is."

"Then why does Loki look like he's going to the opera?" Jane was confused.

Natasha shook her head. "I don't know. He's worn that outfit every time I've seen him in normal clothes."

Loki smirked, having heard their hushed words. "I simply prefer these to..." He looked to Thor and frowned. "...whatever those are."

Natasha shook her head. "Well, since we're all here, we should get going."

"Wait."

They all turned to see Steve Rogers walking toward them. He was wearing a white shirt bearing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s symbol on the front, and tan pants. And, he was minus his shield. Natasha crossed her arms. "Are you coming as well?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah. Since you're technically off-duty today, Fury asked me to tag along and keep an eye on everyone." He cast a discreet glance at Loki, indicating the true objective of his assignment to Natasha.

She frowned but didn't say anything.

The group set off, out of the Tower and onto the streets, Thor taking the lead with Jane, followed by Sif and the Warriors. Next came Loki, following at a casual pace, twirling the scepter, that was now in the form of a walking-stick, a light smirk on his face. Not far behind him was Natasha and Steve. "Why are you here Steve?" Natasha asked, hoping the Asgardian ahead of them could not hear.

Steve cast a confused look at her. "I already told you: Fury wants me to keep an eye on everyone, in case something happens."

Natasha's face was marred by a deep frown. "Does he not trust me to take care of the situation?"

"No," Steve assured her. "But, he doesn't trust Loki, and felt that the more of us there are around him, the less likely he'll try anything. And, if he does, there will be more of us to stop him."

"I don't think we have anything to worry about," Natasha told him, quickening her pace.

Steve looked ahead of him, to find Loki looking back at him with an amused glint in his eyes. He then looked to the red-haired agent that was now walking near the God of Mischief. He didn't like the way she had taken Loki's side on the issue, even going so far as to defend him to Clint. He didn't know what made her sympathetic to the Trickster's plight, but he couldn't imagine what it could be.

He shook his head and continued to walk, watching the over-dressed god with trained eyes. Strangely, he felt like the bad guy in this. Natasha's unwavering stance on the subject was enough to make Fury hesitate in sending him along with them, not wanting to give the idea that he didn't trust his agents, but he would rather be safe than sorry.

The first incident of the day occurred as they were walking down the sidewalk a few blocks from Stark Tower. Loki had drifted off to the side, closer to the buildings, and was glancing through the windows of every building that they passed.

From a little further up the street, the sound of someone running reached their ears. Loki looked up in time to see a man, dressed in less-than-new street clothes, rushing right at him.

A split second later the man's shoulder slammed into Loki's and he felt a hand snake inside his coat, obviously searching for something. Loki's own hand snapped out and wrapped around the man's forearm. He then began to squeeze.

The man let out a yelp and tried to shake himself loose from Loki's grip. Loki smirked and pulled the man back to him and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I could break your arm with a flick of my wrist." He pulled back and looked into the man's scared eyes. He tightened his grip and smiled. "Don't do that again."

He let go of the man and he stumbled back tripping over his own feet to tumble onto his back before scrambling backwards and then to his feet. After regaining his feet, he sprinted back the way he had come.

Loki watched him go, the smirk never leaving his face. He then noticed that the others were all looking at him with varying expressions. The Warriors Three were curious as to what had happened; Thor was waiting for Loki to explain, while Jane was simply in a state of light shock at what had just occurred. She had, of course, heard of pick-pockets, but had never witnessed it before. Sif, confusion clear on her face, was still watching where the man had run off to. Steve had his eyes on Loki, trying to gauge his thought process, while Natasha had a look of understanding on her face.

Loki shrugged and then started walking again. He stopped after a few steps and turned around. "Are you all coming or not?" He didn't wait for an answer and continued on his way. A second later the rest of them followed, with Jane trying to explain what had happened between Loki and the nameless man that had run into him.

**XXXX**

A few hours later they found themselves in Times Square, standing on the sidewalk taking in the large expanse of the area. Loki was leaning against a wall, at the opening of an alleyway, arms crossed with the scepter tucked under one arm.

The rest of them were up ahead of him, discussing the modern world of Earth with fascination and curiosity. Whenever the Asgardians had questions, Jane, Natasha, or even Steve on occasion, would explain the details of whatever it was that had caught their attention.

Loki felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and was suddenly aware that he was being watched. It wasn't the same feeling as Steve keeping an eye on him, or Natasha's glances, he was getting used to those. No, this was different.

His eyes darted around, noting everyone near them, until he determined that it was someone behind him. He smirked and turned around, taking a few steps into the alleyway. The sound of metal scraping against metal preceded the sound of running footsteps from far above him. The steps were heavier than normal, making them easier to hear now that their owner wasn't trying to remain hidden.

Not a second later he had to raise his scepter to block a set of metal blades that had descended on him from above. A feral growl erupted from the man that wielded the blades as Loki pushed the weapons over their heads and then planted his foot in the man's chest. The man flew backwards to land heavily on the ground.

When he stood up, Loki took a moment to study him. He quirked an eyebrow when he realized that the blades were actually part of the man's body, protruding from between the knuckles of both hands. "Well, aren't you an interesting specimen?"

The man crouched, his arms held at his sides, claws ready to strike. He then leapt at Loki, those deadly, razor-sharp blades poised to pierce Loki's body. Loki altered his clothing back to normal and his scepter into spear form. He twirled the spear and struck out with the blunt end, sent the man flying back down the alleyway.

Loki walked toward him, keeping himself just out of easy striking distance. He glanced down at the spear where the claws had impacted it, luckily finding it unharmed.

The man stood back up and charged Loki again, claws slashing and hacking at him relentlessly. Loki blocked and parried as many of the blows with his spear, and those that he couldn't, he was able to dodge. He didn't know who this man was, or why he was doing this, but he refused to back down.

**XXXX**

Natasha had been listening to Jane explain the function of cell phones to Fandral when she turned around, looking to where she had last seen Loki, leaning against the wall, only to find him missing.

She whipped around, looking in every direction, hoping to catch sight of the Trickster. She could not see him anywhere. She turned to Thor and the others. "Guys, where's Loki?"

Everyone stopped their chatting and began to look around, conducting their own visual search for the elusive Trickster. Steve was the first to respond. "Alright, we need to find him. Thor, I want you in the air, get up above us and see if you can see him" Thor pulled Mjolnir from the bag on his shoulder and used it to fly up into the air. "Natasha-"

An explosion from the alley near where they were standing drew their attention. Natasha traded glances with Steve before they both ran into the alley. Steve turned to speak to the others as he ran. "Stand guard here. Don't let anyone through." Sif and the Warriors moved into the opening of the alley and then turned to face outward, effectively blocking the path of some civilians that were trying to see what was going on. Jane had slipped between them and was trying to find Thor when he landed behind the warriors and start after Natasha.

At the far end of the alley they could see Loki, spear in hand, fighting with a man with six metal claws coming out of his hands. The explosion had been from a blast from Loki's spear, tearing a hole through the brick walls of one of the buildings they were fighting between.

Both were sporting injuries that were rapidly healing. Loki's chest had three diagonal slashes across it, but the flesh underneath was barely scratched and already closing. The other man had a severe burn on his arm from Loki's spear-blast, but the skin was clearing and becoming new once more.

It wasn't difficult for Natasha to recognize the man, he had worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. before**, **doing solo missions for Fury on countless occasions. Steve recognized him from his time in the Army, fighting the Nazis during the war. Both were surprised to see him there, viciously fighting with Loki, neither of the two combatants willing to give ground. "Logan!" Steve called out, rushing forward, Natasha not far behind. Before the shout, Logan had managed to get in a particularly well-aimed strike on Loki, carving a deep gash across his chest.

The short moment of surprise Steve's shout garnered from Logan was all the time Loki needed to get a clean shot in and the man was blasted full-on through a wall by Loki's spear.

Steve and Thor ran to the hole and peered inside while Natasha went to try and calm Loki down. Loki had prepared to rush into the breach after his foe but when Natasha stood in his way he came to a halt. She shook her head and turned around to see Logan emerge from the building, covered in dust and burns. The burns were healing right before their eyes and he was wiping the dust from his face and hair. Loki felt the urge to continue his assault but he grit his teeth and forced that impulse back.

"Damn, bub. I don't know what the hell that thing is, but you sure pack a punch." Logan sighed. "I can see why Fury feels threatened by you."

Natasha felt her jaw start to drop. "What do you mean 'Fury feels threatened'?" she demanded.

Logan looked down at her. "Hello to you too," he said gruffly. "And I mean exactly what I said."

Natasha crossed her arms and leveled a glare at Logan, who was surprisingly unfazed. Thor stepped forward, his hammer gripped tightly in his hand. "You mean to tell us that Fury is involved in this?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. He asked me to test this kid." He jerked a thumb in Loki's direction. "Wanted to know how he would react if threatened."

Loki smiled humorlessly. "So, Fury doesn't trust me either? Not that I would expect anything different." He shook his head. "What I didn't expect was for him to send someone after me." He didn't look all that upset over being attacked, merely the fact of Fury's distrust.

"This is madness. I demand to speak with Fury immediately." Thor growled.

Logan shrugged. "Don't look at me, bub, I've done my part." He turned to Steve. " "Who are you, and how do you know me?"

A confused expression took over Steve's face. "I'm Captain Steven Rogers, we fought together during the World War. You don't remember?"

"Sorry, slick, I don't. Though I have to question how you're still around."

"Uh...I was kind of...frozen for seventy years." Steve said, rather awkwardly.

Logan looked Steve up and down. "Hm." He cocked his head to the side in a 'whatever you say' manner. he turned back to the still-glaring Natasha. "Listen, doll, don't give me that look. I wasn't trying to hurt your little boyfriend. If Fury wanted him dead, I'd still be going at it. He just wanted me to try and get a rise out of him. You got a problem with that, take it up with Nick." He started walking away, leaving Natasha with her mouth agape. _**Boyfriend? Of all the utter nonsense!**_

"Bastard." she muttered under her breath. A snort from Logan told that he had still heard her.

He stopped next to Loki. "Good fight, kid. I didn't catch your name, and Fury wasn't very forthcoming with information."

"I am Loki, of Asgard." The Trickster answered.

"Well, Loki, I'm looking forward to the rematch."

Loki looked him in the eye, sizing him up, before nodded and letting his lips quirk upward. "And I as well."

Logan held out his hand. "No hard feelings, huh?"

Loki grasped his hand. "None."

"Good." He released Loki's hand. "Well, I have somewhere to be, so if you don't mind, I'm out of here."

He reached the barrier created by Sif and the Warriors and nudged them aside, slipping out amongst the crowds, disappearing amidst the chaos.

Loki turned to Natasha. "Who was that?"

Natasha seemed mildly irritated. "His name is Logan, he's a mutant. He has a healing factor that prevents him from aging. No one knows how old her really is. He's currently a member of the X-Men, a team of mutants based out of Westchester." She frowned. "He also happens to be an old friend of Director Fury's. They've known each other for about thirty years."

"Is he of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Thor asked, still feeling angry that the man had attacked his brother.

"Not officially. He only comes in when Fury needs him, usually for special solo missions, like today's." Natasha looked to Loki, taking in all of the shallow cuts on his arms and torso. The sight made her insides twist uncomfortably. "You alright?"

Loki nodded and touched one of his wounds, wincing as he did so. "I'll live," he told her, a small smile on his face. He was starting to get used to the lovely agent. He grinned at Thor. "Well, brother, this little field trip has turned out to be more interesting than anticipated."

Sif walked up to them at that moment. "And, in true Loki and Thor fashion, trouble followed right on your heels."

Loki's grin widened. "Of course. After all, what is an adventure without some excitement?" His smile was infectious and Thor couldn't resist one as well. Natasha even felt one tugging at her lips but she held it in check. "And, as I said earlier, none of it was my doing."

Thor pointed at Loki. "Now, now, brother, you have to take some blame. He was here for you, after all."

Loki frowned. "Details, Thor. Details."

Steve was frowning. "I think we're all missing the bigger point here." He paused, waiting for everyone to look at him. "Fury sent a mercenary after Loki."

Thor nodded. "This is true. I do not appreciate the hostility toward my family."

Natasha clenched a fist, feeling her ire rising. "I think we need to have a talk with the Director." She didn't know what was going on in Fury's head, but she was becoming tired of the way everyone was acting toward their new ally. _**It's like they want him to fly off the handle and start killing again.**_ _**Clint would be happy since it would prove him right and he'd get another shot at putting an arrow through Loki's eye-socket.**_ The thought unsettled her, though she wasn't sure why. She walked to the end of the alley, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Everyone trailed behind her.

She held the phone against her ear after dialing a number. "Stark, send one of your drivers to pick us up."

"What? Why?" Tony asked.

"Just do it Stark. I'm not in the mood for Twenty-Questions," she snapped.

"Alright, alright. Where are you at?"

"Times Square, Theater District on Seventh. Just down from the old S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."

"Gotcha. They'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"Make it sooner." She hung up before he could respond. S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters had used to be within walking distance of where they were now, but after the incident with the awakening of Captain Rogers, they had relocated to an area that was less densely populated where such incidents would, in the future, go unnoticed by the general public. Hence the need for a ride.

Ten minutes later, some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents showed up to take care of the police that had arrived, demanding to know what had happened. Natasha ignored them and continued to scan the oncoming traffic for the vehicle Stark had sent for them.

Five more minutes later, a short limo pulled up to the sidewalk and they all piled in; Natasha was the first in and ended up squeezed between Loki, who was back in Midgardian clothes, and the door. The position wasn't unfromfortable, if she was honest, but being this close to the God of Mischief was messing with her head.

She couldn't deny that she found him attractive, but she refused to let herself think about that. Attraction led to distraction; distraction led to mistakes; mistakes were not an option. _**Get a grip. It's just Loki. The same man who tried to take over the world last year.**_ She felt a bit guilty for using that thought to control herself, considering that she was supposed to be giving him a second chance, but she was thankful that it worked, sort of.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters," Natasha answered.

The driver nodded and began to drive, at a speed that was faster than what was normally proper for a limo driver. _**Leave it to Stark to have a limo driver with a lead foot.**_

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another down. Hope you enjoyed. The cameo in this was hard because, as much as I love the character, I was never good at writing him and I wanted someone that everyone would recognize. Then again, this is AU, and based in the movie-verse so...that give us a bit of room to toy with things. As always: Review, but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	9. Keep Your Friends Close

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Avengers or Marvel.**

**A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers. In this chapter, a lot happens, and the subplot continues. I don't know much about Natasha except what I've read in a few comics and what I've seen in the movies so forgive me for taking a few liberties with her background. Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter IX: Keep Your Friends Close, Keep Loki Closer**

**'Come ride with me through the veins of history. I'll show you how God falls asleep on the job. And how can we win when fools can be kings? Don't waste your time or time will waste you. No one's gonna take me alive. The time has come to make things right. You and I must fight for our rights. You and I must fight to surive.'**

**-Knights of Cydonia by Muse.**

The tires of the limo released a loud screech as it was maneuvered around a turn at near-breakneck speed, throwing all of its passengers about, colliding with both windows and each other.

"Sorry," Loki muttered as the car took the turn, forcing him against Natasha, trapping her even more between him and the door. He was sitting as far back in the seat as he could manage, his shoulders further back than hers, the sudden turn had caused his arm to slip behind and around her shoulders when he reached out to steady himself. Loki had Volstagg next to him so he was effectively trapped as well. _**Oh dear...**_

"It's O.K.," she responded, trying to shift herself closer to the door. She schooled her features to avoid letting the heat in her cheeks show through.

Loki was able to withdraw his arm and bring it, and his other, to settle in a crossed position over his chest. He managed to keep his limbs to himself for the rest of the ride, though he could see Natasha casting glances at him every few seconds.

When they arrived, Natasha was out of the door beside her before the car had even stopped. Loki followed her out, with Thor and Steve exiting the other side. Thor stopped to speak to Sif and the Warriors Three. After a moment, he stood back and let Jane out before closing the door and the car sped off again.

Loki started toward the front door of the building, seeing Natasha already disappearing inside. He traded glances with the others before they all jogged to catch up with the Black Widow.

They caught up to her just outside the control room where Fury was standind. From his stance, he had been expecting them. Natasha marched right up to where he was standing. "Director," Steve called out before Natasha could open her mouth. "Care to explain why a mercenary, claiming to be under your orders, attacked one of my charges in the middle of a populated area?" He stopped next to Natasha and leveled a stern glare at Fury.

Fury wasn't fazed and stared right back. "I had to be sure that our ally wasn't going to go AWOL on us at the first sign of attack. Or as soon as he was out of our line of sight."

"With all due respect, sir, if Loki didn't want to be here, I don't think we could stop him from leaving." Natasha's words were laced with sarcasm and frustration.

"You're missing my point," Fury told her.

"And what point is that?" she asked, barely able to restrain herself from growling the words.

"I know that Loki could leave here at will, I've spoken to his mother and some of the others about his abilities. What I needed to know was whether or not he still retained his lust for violence." He shot a glance at the subject of their discussion over Natasha's shoulder. Loki had settled himself into a chair and was calmly watching the proceedings with calculating eyes. Fury turned his gaze back to Natasha and Steve. "When he last came here, he killed over eighty of our agents, and injured others. He subjected Agent Barton, Eric Selvig and several others to mind-control, forcing them to do his bidding. Then, he opened a portal to allow an alien army to invade our planet. Granted, he did help us end the battle and he hasn't behaved hostilely since his return, but I had to be sure. This wasn't just a flight of fancy. Judging Loki's responce to pressure and violence."

"Then why did you send Logan if that's all you wanted to see?" Steve asked. He remember the viciousness and ferocity of the man during the times they had fought together in Europe; and seeing him today, he was convinced that the years had not calmed the fire inside him.

Fury's eye twitched. "Logan is one of the only men I trust explicitly. If he says Loki isn't dangerous to us, I believe him."

"And what, pray tell, was his assessment of me?" Loki asked, tilting his head to the side, resting it on his palm. He appeared so nonchalant that it was starting to bother the every one else. He was the only one in the room that wasn't showing some kind of emotion.

"Somehow, you've gained a valuable ally for the future," Fury told him. "Logan doesn't normally take to people well, but he seems to think you're 'a good kid', and I've learned to trust his judgement."

Loki nodded and looked up at the ceiling with a bored look on his face. Thor stepped forward. "No matter the reason, I do not take kindly to anyone attempting to harm my family!" He made to step forward but two things stopped him. One was Loki telling him to calm down and the other was Jane not releasing the hold that she had had on his hand.

Steve sighed. "I understand why you did it, sir, but you could have gone about it in a better way. And a little heads-up would have been appreciated."

Fury tilted his head in acceptance of that fact. "Sorry about that, Captain. If you had known, Loki would have been able to tell. I sent you along so that you could help restrain Loki if things went sour. I had to trust that you could react fast enough and already be prepared for any and all threats."

Steve opened his mouth, as if to respond, but then seemed to think better of it and closing it again. Natasha wasn't quite so quiet. "That still doesn't make it right." Her words were said softly, but were somehow heard throughout the room.

Fury's gaze was stern and his eye hard when he turned to her. "Agent Romanoff, as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., it is my responsiblity to recognize, assess and prevent potential threats to our planet. Given his past history, Loki falls under that catagory. As an agent under my command, it is your job to do as I tell you. Is that clear?"

Natasha bit her lip and nodded, feeling thoroughly chastised. "Yes, sir." Fury didn't get angry at his agents very often, but when he did, he came across in a way that, while letting the agent know that they were in the wrong, without making them feel humiliated. It was a quality that had served him well over the years.

"I understand your views on this situation, Agent Romanoff. But personal feeling have no place in this line of work. I know you of all people understand that so I won't go into it any further." Fury spoke to Thor next. "As for trying to harm your family, Thor: I have no ill will toward Loki, so long as he remains our ally. Rest assured that this was a one time thing."

Thor still didn't look happy, but nodded anyway, Mjolnir still gripped tightly in his hand.

"Now, if that's all, I have a council meeting to attend." Fury tapped a few things on the screens that he was standing between and then headed out of the room, his long, black leather coat billowing slightly as he walked.

Loki stood from his seat and casually walked out the door as well, though turning in the opposite direction as Fury. Thor, unsure as to where Loki was going, followed him.

**XXXX**

The ice melted beneath his feet as he walked, his great sword in hand. His body was wreathed in living flames from the tips of his horns to his cloven-hooves. He had traveled as quickly as he could manage, his power growing at a steady rate, and had made good time. He was now marching through the heart of Jotunheim.

Upon his arrival, the Frost Giants had attempted an assault, hoping their meager control over the ice that coated their land in a frozen tundra would be enough to weaken him. Their petty resistance had been felled with a single swing of his sword.

After that, the few survivors that were left had fled, probably to a nearby city for shelter and refuge. After he had razed Midgard and leveled the gods of Asgard, he would return and melt this world, and the Jotuns with it. But, for now, he continued his march through the seemingly endless wasteland that was Jotunheim.

He had been walking for three hours when they appeared ahead of him. A large assembly of Jotuns had gathered under the banner of King Thrym. He never slowed in his march, though he lifted his sword and prepared to strike.

The first line of Jotuns rushed to engage him, sending small blasts of ice that turned to steam before they even touched his flesh. With a swift movement of his arm, he blazing sword arched down, searing its way through the ranks of the army of Frost Giants.

Two more massive attacks had the army greatly diminished with nearly a fourth of their numbers destroyed.

The Jotuns were a warfaring race, fierce in battle and great in number. But against the might of Surtur, who's sheer power equal to that of the great Odin in his prime, they stood little to no chance.

Thrym was a wise king, having reinstated the peace between Jotunheim and Asgard as soon as he was able. He had called to Heimdall, the gatekeeper of the Bifrost, to open the bridge so that he may speak with Odin, but the bridge had not opened on that occasion, nor on many other occasions, until a year ago. Upon his arrival in Asgard, he had been taken to Odin's palace to speak with the illustrious king of the gods.

Negotiation were short, Odin too was eager for a return to peace, and now, with the Bifrost rebuilt, the traitor Loki imprisoned, and a wiser King at the helm of Jotunheim, lasting peace was finally possible.

As a king wise not only matters of diplomacy, but also in war, Thrym knew when his armies were outmatched. Surtur, the great demon of Muspelheim, would tear through his forces like a plague. With this in mind, he gave the order for retreat, withdrawing all of his forces to his capital.

Surtur, no longer met with the resistance of the Frost Giants, marched on. Midgard was only a world away. His journey was near its end, and soon all the Nine Realms would fall before his might.

**XXXX**

On the Bifrost, Heimdall and a group of twenty warriors stood, looking toward the gates. "We need supplies. Freyr, you know your mission, do not take any unneccesary risks."

The Asgardian warrior nodded and saluted Heimdall before he and his group set off into the city. Using his Allsight, he was able to watch their movements.

Just inside the gates they were met with small resistance when they ran into a Chitauri sentry that was patrolling the city. Freyr quickly dispatched it by skewering it on his sword and then tucking the corpse out of sight behind some plantlife that was nearby. They did not want to risk any other sentries finding the body and alerting the others to their presence. He watched them as they traversed the streets of Asgard, avoiding and eliminating Chitauri sentries all along their path.

They were heading to the farms on the edge of the city, where the Asgardians grew the majority of their food. Heimdall only hoped that they could make it back out of the city with the supplies. He knew there was enough food, he had seen it, and he knew that the invaders had yet to seize them for themselves.

Asgardians could go for a week or more without food in regular circumstances. The current situation was anything but normal, however. They had already been fighting hard, thus they were physically depleted and in need of sustenance.

Freyr and his group were nearing the outskirts of the city, not far from the farms. They finally reached the great fields that held an abundance of easily attainable food. Various crops and even some livestock.

The group procured four wagons, and harnessed horses found in a stable to them. They began filling the wagons with whatever they could get without venturing too far from the others. Several animals were tied to the wagons to be butchered and consumed, and one wagon was partially filled with firewood to use for cooking. All in all, it was a descent haul.

As they began their return trip, a Chitauri flew overhead on one of their strange crafts. When it spied them, it spun about and headed back to the city. Seeing this, Freyr ordered his group to increase their speed.

Heimdall turned to some of the other warriors. "Come, we must go to the gates. The enemy will be in pursuit of them, we must cover their escape."

He and thirty more warriors set off quickly toward the gates, weapons ready. As they ran, Heimdall used his sight to keep track of where the others were. They were making good time and where nearing the gates as Heimdall and his group finally arrived.

The wagons passed between them as they prepared to fight off the pursuing Chitauri. As the first of the alien creatures came through the gates, Heimdall swung his sword, catching the beast across the face and sending it to the ground, dead.

They swarmed out, weapons in hand, clashing violently with the Asgardians. Swing after swing, thrust after thrust, strike after strike, Heimdall felled foes left, right and center. He soon had a ring of fallen enemies laying around him i various states of brutality. Some where headless, others had their throats cut, the rest where either sporting a gash through their chests or stomachs. As their numbers began to dwindle, Heimdall took one last swing of his blade. The blade of the sword came down hard atop a Chitauri's head, splitting both the helm it wore and the skull beneath in a shower of sparks and blood.

As this last foe fell at his feet, Heimdall took stock of their own losses. Seven of his thirty were laying in pools of their own blood, and two others were covered in energy burns from the Chitauri blasters.

As for the rest, they were still on their feet, though a few were nursing some minor wounds. "Gather the dead and fall back to the Bifrost," he ordered, scooping the body of a fallen comrade onto his shoulder and starting back. He could hear his men following, some with heavier steps than the others, indicating that they were burdened with the corpse of a fallen shield-brother.

They had gotten their supplies, but at the price of nine lives. But, Heimdall reasoned that there was no gain in any venture without some form of cost, and they were lucky that the price had not been steeper.

**XXXX**

Loki smirked as he watched Thor follow his projection down the hall. He made the clone turn a corner and then canceled the illusion before turning and walking the path that Fury had taken. _**I may not be planning to attack anyone, but that doesn't mean I won't have a little fun while I'm here. Now, what else is Fury up to?**_

He came to a door that was left open, and he could hear Fury's voice, as well as some others that he did not know, coming from inside. He focused his magic and forced his body to become as visible as air. Hidden from view, he stepped inside the room.

Fury was standing in front of a series of large screens, each holding the image of a different individual somewhere else in the world. They were all in the same room, judging by the similarities in their surroundings.

"Have you done as we asked?" A woman asked. From the first word, Loki found her voice to be annoyingly grating.

"I have," Fury answered. "Though I've taken a lot of flak for it."

"What were the results?" one of the men enquired.

"Passed. Loki showed no signs of deadly intent when engaged in combat." Fury seemed pleased at that result.

"How can you be so sure?" Another man asked, sounding skeptical.

Fury frowned. "You ask me to test someone, and then question my assessment? I'm starting to think that you wanted him to be hostile."

"Well, he did nearly destroy the planet," the woman said.

"Hardly. He attacked New York and destroyed one of our bases. That's hardly the planet." Fury seemed to barely be holding his temper in check. Loki could understand; he'd only been here for a few moments and he was already tired of them, and he wasn't even the one talking to them. _**How does he deal with this on a regular basis?**_

"Don't tell us you've taken his side." a third man said, his voice held a trace of disgust.

"No," Fury answered. The way he said it conveyed that he thought that the councilman's words were stupid. "But I'm not going to walk around here distrusting treating Loki like he'll fly off the handle at the slightest provokation." He narrowed his eye. "And, need I remind you that you are the ones that tried to nuke Manhattan Island?"

The council was quiet for a moment, shifting uncomfortably in their seats at the reminder of their 'stupid-ass decision'. The woman cleared her throat. "How do we know we can trust your source?" That woman was seriously getting on Loki's nerves.

Fury sighed in frustration. "Logan has proven himself as trustworthy more time than I care to count. I have no reason not to believe him."

The second man nodded. "Very well. If his assessment proves wrong, it will your head on the line, Director."

Fury nodded. "Someone has to take responsiblity around here." The not so subtle jab brought a smile to Loki's face as he watched frowns adorn the faces of the council.

The woman turned the page on a small stack of papers sitting before her. "Now, what progress have we made on Phase 2?"

Fury seemed amused. "Phase 2 has come to a stand-still. Stark has refused to have anything to do with the project, and we no longer have a source to draw energy from."

"What do you mean?" The woman asked.

"Where is the sceptre?" the first man followed up.

"Back where it belongs. In its owner's hands," Fury stated.

"You returned it to Loki?"

"I did."

"On what grounds do you have the authority to hand over that object?" There was anger in the man's voice.

"On the same grounds that I returned the Tesseract to Thor. I didn't argue when a _god_ asked for his weapon back." Fury said this like it was obvious. "If you have a problem with that, feel free to try and take it back yourselves." _**Oh, I'd love to see them try.**_ Loki grinned darkly, reaffirming his grip on the sceptre. "We can't move forward without someone to manufacture and produce the weapons anyway." To Loki, Fury didn't seem too upset by this; if anything, he seemed happy. _**For what purpose would these people want to create weapons such as what I say in that file?**_ He shook his head. _**Foolish humans. They will destroy themselves.**_

Loki could feel a bit of his old contempt for this race rising in him like a wave. He pushed it back, though it left a sick, burning feeling in him, much like when bile burns your throat.

"Then we will find a different contractor. We must have those weapons in case of another attack. The world can't always count on the Avengers to save them." The third said, making a note on the piece of paper in front of him.

Fury looked down, shaking his head. "I still think you're making a mistake, Councilman."

"That is irrelevent in this matter, Director."

That comment caused Fury's eye to burn with rage. He was suddenly emodying the emotion for which he was named. "With all do respect, Councilman, as Director and co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., my opinion in any matter is very relevent."

"Your authority can easily be overridden, Director. As was demonstrated last year." The woman spoke with an air of superiority.

"Yes, perfectly demonstrating how flawed your judgement is. Congradulations for costing two pilots their jobs," Fury said angrily.

"What do you mean?"

"I had them both court-marshalled and discharged immediately after the situation settled," Fury informed them.

"You never told us about this."

"I didn't see how it was any of your business how I handled my own subordinates."

"Those pilots were just following orders," the woman said, her voice raising an octave with her own outrage.

"Orders _I_ did not give. Therefore, they were rogue." Fury stepped up to the console and put his finger on a button. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a division to run." He pressed the button and the screens went blank. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. From the way his shoulders slumped, Loki could easily see that he was tired and frustrated. Absently he wondered when Fury had last taken a break or a day off.

After Fury had left the room and the door closed behind him, Loki stepped up to the console curiously and pressed the same button that the Director had. The screens flared back to life, revealing that the council was still in session without Fury. They obviously had not noticed that they were once again broadcasting to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"Fury is out of control. He needs to be replaced," the woman said.

"I agree, but it won't be as simple as that. Without a ligitimate reason, we have no grunds on which to have him removed," The first man told her, not even bothering to look up from the papers that he had in front of him.

"Just as he had no grounds to fire those pilots?" the third man asked. "We need no grounds to have him replaced."

While they were saying this, Loki was studying the other keys on the console. His eyes landedon one that read 'record'. A mischievious smirk lit up his features as he pressed the button and a status bar appeared on the screen showing that everything, from the moment he had turned the screens on, was being saved. _**So much for the element of surprise, eh, Council?**_

Loki had no love for Fury, but he did have love for mischief, and being a thorn in the side of these self-righteous pencil-pushers seemed like it would be fun.

"I'll go through a few applications and select some possible candidates for the position. We cannot trust any of Fury's agents, they're too loyal to him," the second man said writing on one of his papers.

"Loyalty can be bought," the woman said.

The second man shook his head. "I'm not willing to risk it. If we approach the wrong person, they could inform Fury of our intentions. Under no circumstances can Fury know about this before everything is in place."

"Agreed," the first and third man said in unison. After a moment, the woman nodded as well.

"Good. Council adjorned."

Loki ended the video and turned off the screens as the council members all stood and left. He looked around for a storage device like the ones he had seen some of the Midgardian scientists use when working on computers. One of them had explained the use of them during his time hidden away while Selvig worked on the device to harness the Tesseract.

He was able to locate what they called a 'flashdrive' and transphered the recording onto it.

**XXXX**

After everyone had left, Natasha had taken to watching the security videos being broadcasted to the control room from all over the compound. It was a menial and mindless task that allowed the mind to travel where it would.

She was currently scolding herself for her earlier actions. She had argued with Nick Fury, her boss, and one of the men responsible for her not being dead. While Clint had not killed her when ordered to, it was Fury that canceled the hit in order to bring her into S.H.I.E.L.D.; a fact she wouldn't soon forget.

But, on that note, she had opted to give Loki a second chance as well. She could understand the place he was in. No one trusting you because of your past, treating you like you were going to just randomly start killing people for little to no reason. She had been there. Hell, she had even been put through a test as well. Her's had consisted of Fury calling her to headquarters to find a group of armed agents waiting to 'arrest' her and take her for interrogation. She had fought back and incapacitated the agents. After she had knocked the last of them unconscious, Fury had congratulated her on not killing any of them, therefore deeming her to be in control and not prone to needless bloodshed. She had passed.

While her test was more straightforward than Loki's, and a lot less dangerous. _**And yet, he walked away from it like it was nothing.**_ This bothered her on an emotional level, though she wasn't sure how or why. The feeling harkened back to her nightmare from the day Loki was freed. The sight of him in pain had triggered a responce inside her, causing her to cry for the first time in years, thus setting him loose from his cage.

She had every reason, every right to hate him, yet...she didn't. She couldn't bring herself to. _**A year is a long time to hold onto a grudge, or to not move on from a loss.**_ She figured that that was why Tony was able to extend the hand of friendship so soon. He had accepted the loss of Phil Coulson, his friend, and moved on from it, letting go of the anger he felt toward Loki in regards to it.

Clint, on the other hand, had yet to move on. He still held a grudge against Loki for getting inside his head and controling him. She could understand that he was upset and extremely angry about being forced to hurt the people he worked with and saw as his friends, but even so, Loki had served his time, and now was his new start. Clint just couldn't accept that both he and Natasha were just as bad as Loki, in their own ways, and they had been given second chances. So why deny Loki the same?

Steve was trying to stay neutral in this ongoing fight, not wanting to take either side. Fury seemed to fall under this catagory as well. Idly, she wondered how Banner would react to Loki now that he was back. But, Banner was back in Kolkata, once again working as a doctor for the less-fortunate people of the slums.

Loki only had support from his brother, Tony and herself. The rest, excluding Clint, were all taking a neutral stance on the matter.

Her eyes flicked back and forth over the screens absently as she continued to ponder her own inner thoughts.

What was the reason for the dream she had had. Of course she had dreamed of Loki before, ever since her first encounters with him he had haunted her dreams, always with a confident poise and a sadistic smile. But, over time, the scenes had changed. There were parts of her dreams that she could not remember, always before they shifted into memories; but none of this had ever really frightened her. Seeing him bound and burning...that had truly scared her.

She moved her eyes to the screen that showed Fury talking to the council on their big screens. After a second, he turned off the screens and left, looking worn out. As soon as the door closed behind him, the screens came back on.

She sat up and focused more on the screen, seeing nothing out of the ordinary in the room itself that would have caused the screens to turn on again. Then, she saw it. On the desks near the console, a few objects were moving, seemingly of their own accord.

She leapt to her feet and hurried in that direction. _**Only one person here who can turn themselves invisible at will.**_ She passed Fury on her way, nodding to him as he walked by, and then rushed on. She turned the corner into the hallway were the council room was in time to see the door close and Loki reappear in the hall, smirking like a madman.

"Loki, what were you just doing?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from being too suspicious or accusing.

Loki didn't seem surprised that she was there. "A bit of this and a bit of that," he answered with a smile.

Natasha sighed and crossed her arms under her bust. "That's not an answer."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it?" He seemed to be daring her to say otherwise.

She gave him a 'be serious' look. "No."

Loki looked thoughtful. "Hmm. You want to know what I was up to?" She nodded. "Then, follow me, Natasha." He walked past her, heading back to the control room. "Come along, the game is afoot."

Natasha shook her head at his evasiveness, but turned to follow him anyway. What choice did she have? If she wanted answers, she would just have to go along with whatever it was he had in mind.

**XXXX**

Heimdall stood atop the Bridge, a blazing torch in one hand. Ahead of him, laid out in the back of one of the wagons were the nine warriors that had fallen helping him hold off the Chitauri. The wagon had been splashed with some oil from the lamps inside the Bifrost.

He stepped up to the wagon and touched the torch to the oil-soaked wood. The fire quickly spread until it had consumed the entire wagon. "Be at peace, brothers. Valhalla awaits." He turned to face the rest of the warriors that remained, all were present to pay their respects to their fallen brethren. "Mark this occasion well, for, on my honor, this will be the last pyre we shall light until Asgard is ours once more." All of the warriors raise their heads, standing proud. "Tonight, we bid farewell to nine of our own. Remember them as they were, but do not dispair over them. Only, resolve that we shall either hold a feast in their honor once this battle is won, or shall join them in the halls of Valhalla." He placed a hand over his chest. "Hail the honored dead."

"HAIL!"

**XXXX**

Thanos watched from the top balcony of the palace as the pyre was lit, a smile adorning his face. Yet more souls had been offered up to Death.

His forces occupied the city, ensuring that the Asgardians could not attempt to retake it without being surrounded and defeated.

A Chitauri scout entered the room and bowed to Thanos. "My Lord, our reinforcements have arrived."

Thanos' smile widened. "Good. Deploy the Leviathans."

The Chitauri bowed again before scurrying from the room to carry out his orders. The Leviathans, great flying beasts that could transport a battalion of Chitauri, would aid n both the patrolling of the city, as well as discouraging the Asgardians with their sheer size. Almost all of the pieces were in place. First, The Other would take Earth, claiming the Tesseract in the process, then use the Tesseract to access the Bifrost from the outside, effectively trapping the Asgardians between two armies. Once the Asgardians were destroyed, they would use the Bifrost and the Tesseract to spread their forces throughout the Nine Realms and beyond to world that few had heard of, and even fewer had seen. And, once the Asgardians were out of the way, he would use the Gauntlet to seal Surtur away once more, eliminating yet another threat. The Universe was at his feet, ready to be taken, and he, Thanos, would collect. One world at a time. And Death would rejoice at the tribute paid her.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another down. What did you think? Let me know: Review, but don't flame; I already deal with enough of that from Surtur...that was lame...Oh, well. On to the next one.**

**Inntil neste gang.**

**-Atrocity.**


	10. From the Mind of Madness

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or the Avengers.**

**A/N: We are nearing the end of the subplot. Just because it's a subplot, don't think that it isn't important to the story. Recently, I rewatched a film that I had not seen in a long time, called 'Merlin', starring Sam Neil. I was surprised to notice some great similarities between Mordred, as he was portrayed, and Loki. Just something I noticed. Onward, to the chapter! Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter X: From the Mind of Madness**

**'One of a kind, they say they've never seen before. Investigate the aberration, disorder in the core. I never tried to hide away or tried to keep your pace. You walk me to the slaughter with a smile upon your face. From the cradle to the madhouse, a twisted mind. There's no way out of this hell for Twisted Mind. There's no way out.'**

**-Twisted Mind by Avantasia.**

Loki entered the control room, Natasha a few steps behind, and approached Fury. "Director, how much do you enjoy your work?" The one-eyed titan of a man stood with his shoulders slightly slumped, and Loki could clearly see the toll the long hours spent keeping S.H.I.E.L.D. up and running efficiently was taking on the man. Gone was the fire that had burned inside of him during their conflict. When Loki had first come to Earth, Fury had said that he had made him very deperate, but the man before him now as not the same as the man that had stared him down and threatened to drop him thirty-thousand feet in a steel and bulletproof-glass container. _**Time to put some spark back in him.**_

Fury's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand what you're asking." He tapped a few things on the touch-screen of one of the consoles next to him. "If you mean 'do I like what I do?', then the answer is no. The reason being that I wish a job such as mine wasn't needed in this day and age. If you mean 'do I like being the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?', the answer remains the same, but I wouldn't trust anyone else with the job either. So, in a way, yes I do enjoy my work."

Loki cocked his head for a second. "A longer answer than I expected, but the answer is still there." He cleared his throat. "And now, you are probably wondering why I asked." A nod from Fury affirmed this. "Well, you may want to have a look at this." He held out the flashdrive to Fury, who took it uncertainly from the Trickster's hand.

Natasha looked at the small device in confusion. "What is that?" she asked.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "That's a flashdrive," he said, feigning ignorance to her real question.

She shot him a quick glare. "I meant: what's on it?"

"Let's find out," Fury said, plugging the device into a port on one of the consoles. The little device looked strangely old-fashioned surrounded by all of the sleek, high-tech equipment that S.H.I.E.L.D. employed; or so Loki thought.

On one of the walls was a large screen that normally showed a map of the world, along with highlighted areas of importance. This image was now replaced with the images of the four council members. Fury's eye narrowed for a second, only to widen when the council began to speak.

_"Fury is out of control. He needs to be replaced."_

_ "I agree, but it won't be as simple as that. Without a ligitimate reason, we have no grunds on which to have him removed." _

_ "Just as he had no grounds to fire those pilots? We need no grounds to have him replaced."_

Fury turned to Loki, his eye searching. "What is this?"

Loki smirked. "The council's conversation from after you left the room." He shrugged. "You weren't there, so I decided to record it for you." He looked at Fury with some amusement. "Don't worry, they didn't even know I was there."

Natasha was having a hard time tearing her eyes from the screens, as well as keeping her mouth from hanging open like an idiot. By this point, every agent in the room was watching the screen, each with various expressions rangeing from shock to worry, to anger, to fear.

_"I'll go through a few applications and select some possible candidates for the position. We cannot trust any of Fury's agents, they're too loyal to him."_

_"Loyalty can be bought."_

Natasha felt anger well up in her at the mere thought that these people thought that any of them could be turned with money.

"Not likely," Fury muttered darkly, his eye back on the screens. Loki glanced back to see Steve enter the room, his gaze immediately drawn to the screens where everyone else was looking.

_"I'm not willing to risk it. If we approach the wrong person, they could inform Fury of our intentions. Under no circumstances can Fury know about this before everything is in place."_

_"Agreed." _

_ "Good. Council adjorned."_

The screen went blank as the recording ended. Silence reigned over the room; not even the sound of breaths being taken could be heard, as if everyone were holding their breath for Fury's reaction. The man himself was eerily calm. He disengaged the device and slipped it inside his pocket before walking from the room.

Natasha shot a worried glance at Loki before they both started after him. "Back to work everyone." Steve said in a commanding voice before following as well.

Loki ran to catch up with Fury, slowing to walk at his side. "You have a plan?"

Fury didn't turn his head. "For what?"

"Why, for keeping your position, of course," Loki said as if it were obvious.

"The entire council is in favor of seeing me gone." His tone was even and forced, nothing like his usual controlled calm.

Loki's eyes filled with fire, stopping Natasha, who had been about to say something. He stepped in front of Fury, walking backwards ahead of him. "So that's it then? You just going to give up? The great Nick Fury, quitting like a snivelling child being bullied on the playground." His voice had taken on an edge, an edge that brought the memories back to Natasha, memories of how he had taunted and mocked her on the Helicarrier, though that seemed like so long ago now. "What is it that's made you so soft all of a sudden? You, who when face with possible death, attempted to stall me underground with intent to bury us all alive. You, who had the gall to mock me while I was locked away in a cage. You, under whose guidance and leadership, the Avengers were able save the world from enslavement." Fury turned away from Loki, seemingly attempting to ignore him.

"This time, it's different," Fury said. "This is not war, it's business. That is not my arena and I am outmatched four to one."

"That is no reason to give up." Fury still didn't meet his eye, nor did he stop walking. By now they had entered the lobby. "Look at me." Fury did not respond. "LOOK AT ME!" Loki grabbed Fury by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall. Natasha jumped at the sudden roar that erupted from Loki, not expecting such a fierce sound to come from someone so slight in build as he was. She faintly remembered him snarling death threats at her through the glass of the Hulk's cage, but that was nowhere near as intimidating as what she had just heard.

Steve, his soldier instincts kicking in, stepped forward and grabbed one of Loki's arms. "Release the Director, Loki." The Liesmith ingnored Steve and his grip did not waver in the slightest.

The Trickster was glaring a hole through Fury as he held him in place. "Tell me you have a plan."

He wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up over this, seeing as it had simply started as a plan to cause some trouble for the council members. He supposed that it was the mere fact that he did not want to see the faction that brought him to his knees in the command of anyone except the man that had orchestrated his defeat. _**A grudging respect is to blame, I imagine.**_

Fury glared right back at Loki, both men seemed to be fighting a battle of wills. Finally Fury blinked. Loki wanted to smirk, seeing the life return to Fury's eye. "Of course I have a plan. You think I would let them take my division away from me without a fight? I started this company with Howard Stark, I'm not giving it up until the life leaves my body."

Loki nodded and released the grip he had on Fury's shoulders. "Good."

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. "How can we help?" she asked.

Fury looked from Loki to Natasha, and then back. Loki nodded to him, indicating that he was in as well. "You can give me a lift," he said, resuming his walk, heading toward the garage where all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s personal vehicals were kept. Loki cocked his head in a manner that said, 'alright'.

"Sir, where are we going?" Steve queried.

Fury smirked. "As I said before, business is not my arena. However, I know a man that can opperate within that court."

Recognition dawned in Loki eyes and his smirk returned. "And make a mockery of it while making a fool of whoever opposes him while he's at it, if I follow your train of thought correctly."

Fury smiled. "You do."

Natasha and Steve exchanged confused glances. Loki grinned and increased his pace to walk beside Fury. "I thought as much. He has money and prestige on his side as well. Not to mention, friends in high places. Though, this council, they seem to think pretty highly of themselves. Arrogance like that only comes with power or rank, trust me, I know."

"True. They rank pretty highly on the chain of command. High enough to have some influence when it comes to the President and other world leaders."

Fury opened the back passenger door of a jeep and climbed in, Loki walking around to the other side and climbing in as well. Steve took the front passenger seat, leaving Natasha with the driver's seat as her only option. "I guess I'm driving." She sighed and got in as well. The keys were kept under the viser, and she pulled them out and started the engine. "Where are we going, sir?"

"Take us to Stark Tower, Agent Romanoff." Fury said. "I fear that even Stark may not be enough, but, as co-founder Howard's ownership rights were paid for in the name of the Stark family, and would naturally stay within his family after he died, meaning that Tony owns a share of the division."

Steve turned around to face them. "I thought that S.H.I.E.L.D. was a government-owned division."

"It is, but, before that it was a privately contracted company. The Secretary of Defence, on orders from the president, bought a controlling share from us in the name of the Department of Defence. From there we also extended to a global entity. Through all of this, Howard and I were able to retain our controlling shares. Howard would have ensured that his portion went to either myself or to his son, and since I only have my share, it must have gone to Tony."

"And you trust Stark to, what? Sell you his share?" Steve asked.

"No. I _hope_ that he'll use that share to help me combat the council." He gave Loki a smirk that would have rivaled the Trickster's. "That, and his friends in high places."

Loki nodded. "Well, Let's hope this works out. After all," His face lit up with a grin, "where's the fun if the Council has its way?"

They arrived at Stark Tower in short time, all of them disengaging themselves from their seatbelts and walking inside, Fury at the head, followed closely by Loki and Natasha. Steve trailed behind them, still a bit unsure as to why he was even there. All he had done was answer a summons from Fury, and now he was escorting him to see Stark along with Natasha, and Loki, of all people.

After inquiring as to where they could find Tony, they were in an elevator on their way up to one of Stark's workshops.

The doors opened and they all stepped out. Tony was on the far side of the room, sitting in a chair while leaned over some schematics that appeared to be yet another unpgrade to his already technologically impressive and revolutionary armor. Based the fact that he had not looked up yet, Loki could only guess that he had not noticed their entrance. The reason for which could have been the heavy metal music that was playing through speakers that were built into the walls.

"Mr. Stark!" Fury shouted, trying to be heard over the music.

Tony's head snapped up, his eyes settling on them. Seeing everyone that had come to see him, he rolled his eyes and turned the music off using a small remote at his workstation. "Ah, hi. What's up?" he asked Fury.

Fury walked until he was standing in front of Tony's workstation. "Mr. Stark, you and I have something we need to discuss."

Tony sat back and looked up at Fury. "Well, as you can see, or not, considering..." he shifted his papers to the other side of the table so that it was on the same side as Fury's good eye. "Now, as you can see, I'm kind of busy. Perhaps another time?"

Fury put both of his hand on the table and leaned down. "This can't wait, Mr. Stark. I don't have time for you to decide when it would be a good time, so we'll discuss it now." His tone was deadly serious.

Tony was taken aback, but smoothed over his surprise with an air of indifference. "Um, alright." He stood up. "Let's go on up to my office and we'll talk about it."

Fury nodded and motioned for Tony to lead the way. When they returned to the elevator and piled in, Tony pressed the button to take them to the very top floor. When the doors opened, it was to reveal a small waiting area, as well as an office just beyond that.

Before going into the office with Tony, Fury gave Natasha and Steve orders to return to headquarters and continue as if nothing had changed. Reluctantly, they agreed. Loki made to follow them but stopped when Fury asked him to stay. "You discovered this, you should be involved in the solution."

Loki nodded and followed them, giving a small wave to Natasha and Steve before closing the door to the office. The inside of the office was very spartan. No pictures hung on the walls, nor any decorations of any sort. The only thing in the room were three chairs, one behind the desk, two behind it. The desk was outfitted with Stark's holo-imaging-computer technology.

"Sorry, for the bland interior. This is actually the first time I've ever used this office," Tony said as he walked around behind the desk and pulled his chair out. Loki and Fury took their seats as well. "So, Nick, what's so important that it couldn't wait?"

Fury reached into his pocket and withdrew the flashdrive. Tony took it from him, frowning. Tony met his eye. "What's this?"

Fury smirked. "That's a flashdrive. But, that's isn't important. What _is_ important is what's on it."

"Ha-ha," Tony muttered sarcastically and looked around. "Don't tell me I don't have a USB imput on this thing," he continued under his breath. "Hmm...damn. JARVIS."

"Yes, sir?"

"Bring up the scanner and transfer whatever is on this into my personal database."

"Right away, sir."

Loki didn't even pretend to understand what Tony's computer was doing when a panel opened and he placed flashdrive inside. A second later there was a soft beep. "Transfer complete."

Tony nodded. "Display it."

A holo-image of the video that Loki had recorded appeared over the table. Tony leaned back, one arm resting on the arm of his chair and the other bent up to rest against his mouth in thought as he watched. When the video ended , Loki could almost see the many wheels turning rapidly in his head as he processed and sorted through what he had just learned, and calculating possible outcomes that could be imagined with the information he had. "Well, seems you're in a bit of a pickle, eh ,Nick?"

"Indeed, I am," Fury admitted. "And, that's why I need your help."

"I don't see how I can help you, Nick. I have no authority with S.H.I.E.L.D. or these people, whoever they are." Tony crossed his arms and leaned back.

Fury leaned forward. "Actually, you do." At Tony's confused expression, Fury continued. "Howard owned a controlling interest in S.H.I.E.L.D., from way before the government got involved. Those shares would have been passed to you on the event of his death. Stark, you are a partial owner of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Tony thought for a second. He clapped twice. "Display all personal investments."

"Am I looking for anything in particular, sir?" JARVIS asked.

"Anything pertaining to S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage and Logistics Division," Tony said. Then he muttered. "God, that's even more of a mouthful than it sounds." A screen appeared in front of them. "Hmm, what do you know. There it is." He turned to Fury. "Now that that's cleared up. What do we do about this little problem of yours?"

Loki cleared his throat, making the other two jump; they seemed to have forgotten that he was there. "If I may, I have an idea that may just be the solution you're looking for." The only thing going through Tony's head was that he didn't like the smile on the Trickster's face.

**XXXX**

A few days later, two men in business suits entered S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Fury met them in the control room. Natasha, who was sitting off to the side, stood up and came to stand beside the Director. "Councilman, this is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

The coucilman, an American by the sound of his accent, frowned. "A very important matter, I'm afraid."

Fury held his arms out in an all-encompassing gesture. "I'm all ears."

"Colonel Fury, the council has come to the decision that S.H.I.E.L.D. is in need of new leadership, effective immediately. I have come to request that you step down as Director." Fury frowned. The man gestured to the other man with him. "This is Norman Osborn, he will be taking over Direction of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Norman smiled and held out his hand to Fury. "It's an honor to meet you Colonel. You have quite a reputation amongst the armed forces and those of us involved with them."

Fury looked at the hand, but did not shake it. "So I've heard." He turned to the councilman. "I'm guessing that Mr. Osborn was selected due to his willingness to continue Phase 2."

The coucilman sighed. "If you must know, yes, but this has nothing to do with Phase 2."

Fury raised his brow skeptically, but was prevented from speaking when the door opened again.

"Oh, seems you're already here. Damn, we could have saved you a trip if you had just called first. You see, Senator, this is the type of miscomunication that I was talking about. One hand not knowing what the other's doing half the time."

Everyone turned to see Tony Stark enter the room with two others, one of them being the Lord of Lies himself. The council man looked at them like they had three heads. "Excuse me, Mr. Stark, you are interrupting a very important matter that has nothing to do with you."

Tony continued as if the councilman had not even spoken. "Seems rather like a waste. Coming out here for nothing." He turned to the other man. "Wouldn't you say so, Senator?" The man chuckled. Tony walked over to stand at Fury's console station. "Hmm, these need an upgrade."

Loki was now standing to the side with Natasha. The Black Widow turned to the Trickster. "What's going on?"

Loki only smiled mischieviously. They had not informed anyone of their plan, so as not to ruin the surprise.

"Mr, Stark, what do you think you are doing?" the councilman asked, growing irritated.

Tony, who had been messing with the consoles, looked up. "Hm? Oh! I'm just familiarizing myself with my workspace." Confusion was clear on many faces. "Oh, that's right! You haven't heard yet." He turned to address the room as a whole. "You are looking at the new Joint-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." Stunned silence now reigned. Taking advantage of the silence, Tony went on. "On authority of the Department of Defence, as well as my controlling share in the Division, I have been appointed to run S.H.I.E.L.D. alongside Director Fury, and you and the council no longer have any authority in matters involving S.H.I.E.L.D. Senator Stern, if you would show them the paperwork and go over the final details."

Fury shrugged. "A call would have saved you the trip."

The senator escorted the councilman from the room, along with Mr. Osborn, who seeme to be a mixture of amusement and disappointment, while Tony turned to the agents in the room. "Alright, kiddies, playtime's over. Papa's in the house and I want this Division back up and running at optimum comapacity, stat." Fury was standing off to the side, with his arms crossed, suppressing a chuckle. "Hey, Director, get your tail up here, I ain't doing all the work myself!"

Natasha was in shock. In just a moment's time, Tony Stark had just become her boss...again. She turned to Loki. "You had something to do with this didn't you?"

Loki grinned. "I _may _have had a hand in this, yes."

Natasha fought a smile. "A clever prank. Well played."

"Why thank you, Agent Romanoff." Loki inclined his head. "Though, I can't take all of the credit. Without Stark, the plan would have fallen apart."

Natasha nodded. "Only the God of Mischief could have pulled it off. Only you, Loki." She began walking back to her current workstation. After a few steps, she stopped and turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Oh, and Loki," the Trickster waited for her to continue, "it's Natasha, not Agent Romanoff."

Loki smirked. "Of course, Natasha."

Loki watched her return to her station, unwittingly taking in the way her lithe body swayed gracefully with every step she took. It was quite an admirable sight, he decided.

Of them all, she was the most open to him, and also the most enigmatic. He understood that she felt he deserved a chance at redemption, based on her own experiences, but that didn't mean that she had to spend time with him or seek him out; and yet, she did. _**Then, there's still the matter of that tear.**_

Being totally honest with himself, he enjoyed her presence; it was oddly calming and, at the same time, exciting. She had bested him at his own game, and proved to him that not all mortals were weak and useless, as he had once thought; physically strong and skilled, with a hidden kindness and emotional depth that was not apparent upon first inspection; one had to look deeper, beyond the suface, past the pretty face, to find the true essence of the woman inside. What he was true beauty. Women like her were rare, and he suspected that he would not meet another quite like her again. And, again in all honesty, he was finding himself to be quite taken with her.

He took one last glance in her direction before departing the room. He navigated his way down to the room where Odin was still laid in the bed, his being still held in the grip of the Odinsleep.

Just outside the door, he paused. This would be the first time he would be in the same room with the man whom he had thought to be his father since he was released. The prospect of seeing his father unmoving, surrounded by that mystical golden glow, was daunting. He remembered the things he had done that last time he had witnessed Odin in this state. With a nerve-bolstering sigh, he took the final few steps and entered the room.

Frigga sat at the bedside, one hand resting on Odin's, and the other holding a hardback novel that Loki guessed had been provided by one of the Agents that sometimes patrolled this area; or perhaps by S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. He also noticed a metal box on the table next to the bed, which he assumed contained the Tesseract.

At his entrance, she looked up and closed her book, a strangely knowing smile tugging at her lips. She stood and went to him, wrapping him in a motherly embrace. "Oh, Loki. I missed you so much!"

Loki returned the embrace with one arm. "Hello...mother."

She pulled back, her eyes taking in his changed appearance. His hair was longer than she remembered, and his face more angular, more gaunt. It made his wolfish grin even more unsettling than ever before. If she was disturbed or bothered by his change, she did not show it.

In turn, Loki studied the woman that had raised him. She still appeared the same as he remembered, with a kindness that just radiated off of her. _**Though, not enough to free me.**_ He pushed that bitter thought away. He noticed that she seemed a bit more...pale than usual and idly wondered if she had been eating properly. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Frigga's brow furrowed in worry. "No, everything is fine," she assured. Loki knew she was lying, but did not force the issue.

Frigga was blessed with the gift of forsight, able to discern the paths the future could take; though, she kept her insights to herself now, no longer clueing in anyone as to what the coming days may hold. The last time she had, she had lost a son. The death of Balder was an event that weighed heavily on her soul, and the fact that it had been Loki's doing weighed even more so. It was a memory he would rather forget.

Loki stepped around to the side of the bed. "How is he?" A small bit of resentment seeped into his tone, giving the words a slightly less caring feel than he had intended.

Frigga smiled, despite his tone. "He is doing well. We were prepared for this, this time. He should come out of it any day now."

Loki nodded. "Good," he quietly uttered, his eyes locked on Odin's peaceful face. When Odin awoke, himself, Thor, Odin, Sif, the Warriors and any others that wished to fight, would all begin preparing to return to Asgard. Their time left here on Earth was running short. For some reason, this thought saddened him.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed this. As always: Review, but don't flame.**

**Til neste gang.**

**-Atrocity.**


	11. Loki's Lullaby

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or anything else owned by Marvel.**

**A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers, I really appreciate it. I am taking some liberties with Loki's background in this chapter. I know the myths and I know the stories from the comics, but they don't fit my story. Plus, since apparantly some of the events in the comics did not happen in the movie-verse, I am allowed some creative/artistic license and freedom. Anyway, on to the chapter! Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XI: Loki's Lullaby**

**'I'll do anything for you, kill anyone for you. So leave yourself intact cause I will be coming back. In a phrase to cut these lips, I love you. The morning will come, in the press of every kiss, with your head upon my chest, where I will annoy you with every waking breath, until you decide to wake up.'**

**-Wake Up by Coheed and Cambria.**

It was after midnight by the time Loki left the room where Odin lay, and the greater majority of S.H.I.E.L.D. was now empty, its agents retired from the constant droning workload that occupied them to spend time with the ones they love, whether it be friends or family or lovers, and not have to worry about the work they did; at least until morning. The entire facility was now operated by a skeleton crew.

He had decided to leave after Frigga had fallen asleep in her chair. Not wanting her to be uncomfortable, he had gently lifted her from the chair and laid her down next to Odin on the large bed that was in the room. He had then turned out the lights and closed the door behind him.

As he was passing the control room, he noticed a light still on at one of the workstations. He peered inside, trying to discern who would still be working at this hour. A young woman with brilliant red hair was sitting, hunched over some paperwork, her eyes half-lidded and her movements were slow. "Natasha?" he wondered in a whisper.

He stepped into the room, not bothering to try and muffle his own movements. The fact that she had yet to notice him spoke volumes about how fatigued she had become.

He stepped up behind her. "You're working late."

Natasha jumped, having been startled by Loki's sudden words. She spun around, instantly waking up a bit, and prepared to strike whoever had managed to sneak up on her. She was on her feet in a flash and swung her fist at Loki's head. Loki's hand snapped up and caught the punch effortlessly, holding the Black Widow in place.

Her eyes widened when she realized who she had just tried to hit. "Loki!" The Trickster released her fist and let it fall back to her side as she relaxed. "I'm sorry, I was distracted." She said this with obvious shame and anger at herself.

Loki waved it off. "Think nothing of it. It happens to the best of us." Natasha fell back into her seat, her shoulders slumped. "So, what has the Black Widow doing paperwork so late?"

Natasha gestured to the papers in frustration. "Reports from the other S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. I have to read and sort them. I've been working at this for hours."

Loki nodded. "Perhaps you should take a break."

Natasha looked like that was the best idea that she had heard in a long time, but sighed. "I can't. If I don't finish these tonight, I'll have to finish them tomorrow, on top of whatever duties I am assigned."

Loki grabbed a chair and pulled it over to were she was sitting. He then lowered himself to sit upon it. "Well then, I'll help out."

Natasha shook her head. "No, no, that's alright," she protested weakly.

Loki ignored her and picked up a few reports from the stack. "What exactly am I looking for in these?"

Natasha sighed and pointed to two stacks of reports on the desk. "If there is nothing of importance in the report, place it in this stack, if there is something that needs to be brought to the Director's attention, put it in the other."

Loki nodded and began to read. He wasn't sure exactly what had compelled him to offer his help, but he figured it had something to do with the woman he was helping. He felt indebted to her for standing beside him when others distrusted and even hated him, or simply kept their distance. In addition to that, as he had admitted to himself earlier, he felt an attraction to the beautiful, strong, deadly and, yet, kind woman.

He sifted through the reports quickly, his keen and practiced mind taking in the information at a pace that would have made a mortal's head spin. They were nearing the end of the stack when something caught Loki's eye in one of the reports he was reading. "Oslo, Norway. Agent Jorn Olafsson, level two," he read quietly to himself. "A team has been investigating reports of strange activity near Jan Mayen. Members of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute had reported that they had been hearing strange sounds from the direction of Beerenberg, a large active volcano in the area. Upon investigation, they were able to find no evidence other than small tremors picked up with our seismic devices. We have left a team in the area to moniter the situation, in case of an eruption, so that they may aid in any way neccessary." The report went on to detail other activities, none of which Loki was interested in. He turned to Natasha, who was reading the last report from the stack. "What do you think, priority, or no?"

Natasha, who had heard Loki reading it aloud, shook her head. "Low priority. If an eruption of the volcano occurs, the local teams will take care of the situation if it requires attention."

Loki nodded and placed the report in the non-priority pile. A second later, the report Natasha was reading joined it. "All done?" Loki asked.

Natasha nodded. "Almost. We just have to drop these off in the file room, where they'll be scanned, copied, and stored. A digital copy of the priority reports will be sent to the Director's console in the morning." She picked up the priority stack, while Loki picked up the non-priority stack.

Loki followed her out of the control room. "Why not just have the Agents send them through the computers?" he wondered.

"It's an old method of ours to avoid them getting intercepted or hacked by, well, anyone. Once they're here, we can scan them to our system, encrypted. After that, the security risk is low, and I expect that that risk will go even lower with Fury _and_ Stark at the helm." She pushed a few buttons on a keypad and then let the device scan her retinas. Afterward, the door slid open and they entered.

There was a desk in the first section of the room they came to and on that desk were two trays for the reports. They put their respective stacks in the proper tray and then exited the room, sealing the room behind them.

Natasha sighed and rubbed her eyes. "God, I can't wait to get to my room and sleep."

Loki frowned. "Are you sure you can make it back to Stark Tower in your condition?"

She nodded and entered the garage. "I have to. Need a ride?"

Loki shook his head. "I have a better plan." He stopped and held out his hand. Natasha looked at it, biting her lip in uncertainty. "Um, is it safe for...mortals?" she asked. Calling herself a mortal felt weird.

Loki smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't risk it if I doubted that."

Natasha gave a quick smiled before placing her hand in Loki's. She watched him close his eyes for a second, concentrating, then a strange feeling washed over her, and she felt as light as air. She felt weightless, as though she were floating in zero-gravity. Around her, their surroundings blurred and then shifted, becoming the hallway that contained the doors to their respective rooms.

She felt her body rematerialize and looked herself over, making sure she was still whole. "Wow," she breathed. She looked to Loki, to find him leaning against the wall, looking slightly drained and pale. She went to him and placed a hand on his face, giving it a light pat to get his attention. He turned to her with half-lidded eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Loki nodded and pushed himself off the wall, forcing his eyes open and himself to stand straight. "I am fine," he said. "It's just that I have never transported two people before. It took a bit more out of me than I expected. I'll be right as rain in a moment." He chuckled. "I have never understood that phrase."

Natasha smiled lightly. "Come on, let's get you into your room." She put her hand on his arm when he swayed slightly on his feet. Loki opened the door to his room and stepped inside. He walked to his bed, using his magic to shift his clothing into his sleep attire. With this practiced spell, the decrease in his energy reserves was near unnoticable. Another unnoticable event was the blush that appeared on Natasha's face as she gazed upon Loki's now-shirtless body. The room wasn't very well lit, but the Lord of Lies' pale skin was easily visible in the dim room.

Loki sat down on his bed. "You can have a seat if you wish, Natasha," he said, gesturing to a cushioned chair that sat near the writing desk in his room. He shifted so that he was leaning against the headboard. "Or, you're welcome to join me." He smiled mischieviously at her, forcing her to fight down the heat in her cheeks again. Luckily she was well-versed in the art of controlling her body's reactions.

She had to admit that, for a moment, she had considered taking him up on that offer, but fought that down and gave him a mock glare, to which he just continued to grin. She also noticed that she didn't feel all that tired anymore. She closed the door and sat on the chair he had offered a moment before and began to pull off her boots, letting her feet rest; luckily, she was not wearing her leather body-suit, and instead wore normal attire, so she as a bit more comfortable. She relaxed back in the chair, and watched Loki lean back, his eyes slipping closed. She could see him mouthing something in a whisper, but could not make out the words.

Now, just a few minutes later, he could feel his energy returning to normal. He looked at the ceiling and began to whisper to himself a song, a song that he used to sing to his brother Balder when he had trouble sleeping; especially after his nightmares had begun. Despite popular belief, he had loved his brother dearly. His death had been a tragic accident. His whispers fell silent.

"What was that?"

He looked at Natasha, having, momentarily, forgotten that she was there. "Nothing. Just an old lullaby that I used to sing to my brother."

Natasha tilted her head in askance. "Thor?"

Loki chuckled. "No, no. Thor does not have the same appreciation of music as I. Not to say he doesn't enjoy it, but it isn't something he really cares about." His smile became sad. "No, I used to sing it to Balder."

"Where is he now?" Natasha asked, wondering why she had not seen him in either Loki or Thor's company.

Loki looked saddened; the contrast to his usual devious self was startling. He turned to meet her eyes. "He's dead."

Natasha frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry." She took a deep breath, knowing that she was pushing her luck. "If I may, how did he die?"

Loki broke eye-contact and looked away, tears welling up in his eyes at the memory. He did not wish for her to see his weakness. When he spoke, it came out in a breathy, broken whisper. "I killed him."

Of all the answers Natasha had been expecting, that was not one of them. Her mouth opened and closed silently as she tried to comprehend that simple and yet profound statement. She swallowed thickly, unsure of how to respond. "Why?" The word slipped out before she had time to realize she had spoken.

Loki still didn't turn to meet her gaze. "It was an accident." _**I don't want to relive this.**_ He sometimes dreamed of that night, still, after so long. _**But, how can I expect her to trust me if I don't give the truth?**_ "When he was young, barely midway through what you mortals consider as your 'teen' years, Balder began to have nightmares of his own death. So vivid and disturbing they were, that they kept him from sleep," he found himself saying. "He would lay awake in his bed, too afraid to sleep, lest he have another nightmare. So, I would sit with him, and sing to him until he finally relaxed enough to sleep. Soon after, my mother found a way to protect Balder from harm, a complex spell that would stop any object from harming him. As I was the chief magic user amongst the Aesir, it was my duty to cast it. And I did. But, I stumbled over a word, and the spell was completed with a flaw. I spoke of my concern to the others, but they dismissed it when Balder reported that his nightmares had ceased." He breathed in a breath to keep him from faltering. "The others took to playing a game, where they would throw spears and daggers, and shoot arrows at Balder, just to see them bounce harmlessly off. Balder did not mind, he thought it all in good fun. My poor beloved, naive brother. Ullr, our finest archer, had a special arrow, fashioned from mistletoe. One night, I had had a bit too much mead and they managed to rope me into the game. Ullr gave his bow and quiver to use and I drew the mistletoe arrow and nocked it. I fired the arrow at Balder's heart, and...slew my brother. My mispronunciation of a single word had allowed the arrow to bypass the defence offered by the spell and thus sealed Balder's fate."

Natasha was quiet, sorting through the information. How does one react to finding out that the man you've been defending and learning to trust had killed his own brother? But, thinking about it, it was exactly as he had said it was: a tragic accident. He had not meant to kill Balder, and appeared to genuinly regret his actions. She had done terrible things as well, killed innocents. Again she realized, they really weren't that different from each other. Two souls, stained with the blood of the innocent, seeking to reclaim an innocence that had been lost long ago, before either of them had had a choice in the matter.

When she looked up, it was to see Loki wipe a tear from his cheek. She stood and walked over to him, seating herself on the bed next to him. "It wasn't your fault, Loki. As you said, it was an accident. It could have been anyone. This...Ullr, could have just as easily shot the arrow and killed him. It was just unhappy chance that it was you."

"But it was me." He sighed and let another tear roll down his face. "Odin, Frigga and Thor, they may have said that they didn't blame me, but I could see that, deep down, they really did. They despised me for it." He took a watery breath. "I'd have done anything to bring him back, but...Hela does not easily return that which she has claimed, and her condition was impossible to meet."

Natasha felt deep sympathy for this man, the tortured God of Mischief that had suffered such sorrows as she, nor any of the others, could scarsely understand. "What was it?"

Loki shook his head, as if he still could not believe it himself. "She said that she would only return Balder's breath to him if the whole world would weep. Every living thing was required to cry for him, a task which could not be done."

Natasha absently wondered what it was with the gods and tears but did not speak on that. Instead she focused on comforting the god next to her. "I'm sure you did all you could."

Loki nodded, but did not respond immediately. When he did speak next, it was not to affirm her words. "I am sorry, for laying all of this out like this. Speaking of past wrongs is not what I had in mind when I brought a beautiful woman into my room." There was a hint of his usual smirk on his face. He was trying to lighten the mood, so Natasha decided to play along.

"Oh, I'm sure I know what you had in mind," she said jokingly while slapping him lightly on the arm. Something else occured to her. "What was that lullaby?"

Loki smiled in a depreciating manner. "I'm sure you don't wish to hear it. My singing is a travesty."

Natasha shook her head, he wasn't getting off the hook that easily. "Come on, sing, Trickster." She didn't normally act so...normal around others, but she was feeling more comfortable around Loki than she had ever thought possible, and let herself relax and, for once, be just a regular woman. In the morning, she would have to be the Black Widow once more, but that time was still hours away.

Loki sighed in mock defeat. "If you insist." He cleared his throat and then let the words flow softly, sweetly, from his lips.

The words were not in a language that she knew, and that was saying something, considering that she was fluent in several, including Latin' this sounded almost like Norwegian, or Swedish, but older, and more powerful. The tempo was slow and the words seemed to almost caress her as he sang them. His voice, while not that of a master singer, was gentle and pleasing to the ears.

Unwillingly, she felt her eye begin to drift closed and her body relax. She didn't know if he was using his voice to channel magic, but whatever he was doing was sending her to slumber.

When the final words of the song fell from his lips, he glanced to the now sleeping woman beside him. Her eyes were closed, her head resting on his shoulder.

Natasha's breathing was deep and rhythmic, her expression peaceful. He smiled softly, gazing at her. He wasn't sure what came over him, but he found himself leaning down and pressing his lips to her hair in a tender kiss. "Sleep well, _Min Kjaere_," he barely had time to whisper, before he too was claimed by sleep.

**XXXX**

Midgard was only a half-day's journey from where he was now. He had used some of his newly restored power to open the path directly from Jotunheim to Midgard and was now traversing it at a quick but leisurly pace.

Soon, he would emerge from the Earth and burn the mortal world to embers.

**XXXX**

Clint scowled at what he had just seen on the screens of Stark's security center. He had been sitting there, his eyes darting from screen to screen in sequence, when Loki had suddenly appeared in the hall outside his room, a passenger in tow.

It had taken a moment to recognize who the passenger was, but the re hair was a dead give-away. Natasha.

He watched as they conversed outside of Loki's room for a moment before Natasha grasped Loki's arm and the two entered the room, closing the door behind them.

He watched the screen, waiting for Natasha to reappear and go to her own room. Hours passed and it was nearing daylight, and she had still not re-emerged from within the Trickster's bedchamber.

Something twisted inside him as he realized that she was not going to be coming back out of the room that night. With a frown, he rewound the video and copied down the times that were relevent to his findings.

He would show them to Fury and Stark in the morning; they needed to know that Natasha had possibly been compromised. In his opinion, this entire situation had already gotten out of hand. He only hoped that the Directors saw it the way he did.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed it. A little on the short side, but, oh well. This chapter was the a bit more...fluffy than what I am used to writing...I hope it wasn't cheesy or cliche; I worry about these things. As always: Review but don't flame. I love reviews...**

**Til neste gang.**

**-Atrocity.**

**P.S.: **_**Min Kjaere - **_**Norwegian for 'My Dear'.**

**I would have used Icelandic, which is actually Old Norse, but I don't know Icelandic.**


	12. Surtur Rising

**Disclaimer: The Avengers and anything else from Marvel are owned by Marvel.**

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**A/N: Thnk you for the reviews, they were amazing. The revious chapter was better recieved than I had thought it would be. And now, here we are, another chapter lies ahead, ready to be read and reviewed by you fine people. I hope you enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XII: Surtur Rising**

**'I rise up from Muspelheim, my fury is sublime. The sword I bring burns violently with wild and lethal flames. I march against the Asagods to bring the end of time. I am pure and endless pain, and Surtur is my name. See me rise, the mighty Surt, Destroyer of the Universe, bringer of flames and endless hurt, scorcher of men and earth.'**

**-Destroyer of the Universe by Amon Amarth.**

The ground shook as fire poured forth from the depths of the Earth, melting the glacial cap that covered the opening of the massive volcano and then spraying out with a deafening roar in a violent eruption.

Beerenberg had not erupted since 1985, and none of its previous eruptions had ever been this explosive. Luckily the volcano was situated on an island, away from any major cities. The only people that lived on the island were the eighteen staff that operated the weather and radio station that was housed on the island.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were on the island were swiftly staging an evacuation of the island.

A mighty roar shook the island, accompanied by a burst of lava and flame from the mouth of the volcano.

One of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents turned to look at the volcano, seeing something large emerge from within, wreathed in living flames. The smoke and flames obscured the view, but whatever it was, it was monstrous and alive.

The Agent pulled a satalite phone from his belt and quickly dialed the number for Norway's S.H.I.E.L.D. office. After the manager of this base answered he quickly began to speak; he could see the being, whatever it was, moving further from the mouth of the volcano. "Sir! Call the Director! There something here!"

"What is it? What do you see?"

"I don't know, but it's enormous!" He turned and looked at it again. "OH MY G-"

The line went dead as the Agent and the entire area around him was burned away in a blast of flame sent forth from the blade wielded by the giant.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. manager in the base in Oslo immediately dialed the number for the main S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in New York, giving commands for the recording of the call that had just been made, they recorded every call made to and from the base, to be sent to Fury.

**XXXX**

Loki shifted slightly as he began to return to consciousness. He made to turn over, but halted when he felt a weight on his chest. Before opening his eyes, he scoured his memories for any possible reason why there would be something there. Coming up with one answer, he opened his eyes to see if his theory was correct. It was. _**Damn.**_

Beside him, Natasha lay, still sleeping peacefully. Her head rested on his bare chest, with her hair fanned out beneath her. Her arm was draped lightly across his stomach. Loki's own arm was wrapped gently around her shoulders. _**As much as I could get used to this, I distinctly remember being in a sitting position when I fell asleep.**_ He assumed that they must have moved during the night, while in the company of dreams.

He dared not move again, lest he wake her prematurely; he was effectively trapped.

Another hour passed before he felt the beauty beside him move. She shifted against him, unknowingly nuzzling herself closer to the relative warmth he provided, despite the Jotun blood running through his veins. Loki swallowed nervously. If she awoke and felt taken advantage of, he could expect the receiving end of her wrath.

He looked down at her, seeing her eyes flutter open and take in her current situation, confusion clouding her eyes until realization dawned within them. A flicker of dread entered him, making him still, his body tense. She felt him tense up and her eyes sought his. "What time is it?"

Of all the things Loki had imagined she might say, that was not it. "Um...I'm not sure." He shifted the arm that was trapped around her shoulders. "I have not been able to leave this bed since I awoke." His smile was teasing.

Natasha shrugged and closed her eyes again. "I didn't hear you complaining." She opened her eyes to a half-lidded state. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you planned this."

Loki rolled his eyes and smirked. "I _may_ have had something to do with this, yes," he joked. He had not intended to infuse his voice with magic the previous night, but that was how he had been able to make Balder sleep, and old instincts died hard.

Natasha nodded. "I thought so." Her voice was light, and not accusing in the slightest.

Just then, the door to the room opened and Thor walked in, his face bearing a smile. "Brother! Tis near mid-day, what in the Nine Realms keeps you abed so late? Fury needs to-" He stopped when he saw not one, but two, pairs of eyes looking back at him. "Oh."

Loki rolled his eyes, not bothering to correct the assumption that he knew Thor would make upon seeing the current position he and Natasha were in. "Have you never heard of knocking, dear brother?" He had forgotten to lock the door when he came in last night, not used to having someone else in the room with him. _**Then again, locking the door would have sent the wrong message.**_ He looked at Thor. "Can I help you, Thor?"

Thor shook his head, wiping the shocked look off his face. "Fury called, he needs you and Agent Romanoff at Headquarters."

Loki sighed. "Very well. We shall be there momentarily."

Thor nodded and began backing out of the room. "I'll ask Miss Potts to get a car ready."

Loki shook his head. "No need. I can get us there quicker if I use my magic."

Thor seemed to accept this and backed out of the room, closing the door solidly after him.

Natasha sat up and Loki followed suit. He then stood from the bed and used his magic to clean his body, teeth and hair. He then morphed his clothing back to his normal ones. He looked over his shoulder to see Natash running her fingers through her slightly-tangled hair, combing it to be presentable. "If you want, I have a brush in the bathroom."

She looked over to him and smiled, trying to dispell the slightly awkward aura that had settled over them. "If you don't mind."

Loki nodded and retrieved the grooming utensil for her while she pulled her boots back on. He had used the brush and some water to smooth his own hair back in its usual style while in the bathroom. Upon his return to the room he handed it to Natasha and she used the mirror hanging on one of the walls to see her reflection as she brushed her hair. she looked at him after she had finished. "I'll need to stop by my room and brush my teeth before we go."

Loki gave a simple wave of his hand and Natasha's hands flew to her mouth in wonder. "That must come in handy," she said, relishing the clean feeling of her mouth.

Loki nodded. "It does." He held out his hand, just as he had done the night before. "Shall we?"

Natasha nodded, but looked doubtful. "Are you sure? Last time you did this, it nearly exhausted you."

Loki smirked. "I'm sure. I can only get better at it if I practice." She consented the fact and took his hand, again. Before using his magic he stopped and looked thoughtful. "Things are not going to be awkward between us, are they?"

Natasha looked him in the eye and tilted her head. "Are you going to make them awkward?"

Loki shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Neither was I."

Loki smiled and closed his eyes, focusing his magic, being careful not to use too much, lest he over-exert himself.

They felt the weightless, floating feeling that came with the teleportation wash over them as their surroundings blurred, then cleared to reveal the garage outside S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. Loki released her hand and let his own drop to his side. He noticed a flicker of disappointment in Natasha's eyes before it was expertly hidden. Loki suppressed a smirk and set off for the control room, where he knew Fury, and most likely Stark, would be waiting.

When they neared the room, they could hear Tony saying something. "Look, I really don't care. If they wanna do the hanky-panky behind closed doors when off-duty, I don't see how it's any business of ours. So long as they keep things professional when on-duty, and it doesn't keep them from doing the job, I don't see any problem here. Besides, we have bigger things to deal with right now."

Loki and Natasha traded glances and stepped into the room; both had the distinct impression that they were being talked about behind their backs by their friends and allies. This was proved correct when they entered to see Tony, Fury and Clint standing together, looking at something on the screen of Fury's console. "But, Director, this is in direct conflict with the mission given. We were assigned to watch Loki and the other Asgardians, not..._become involved_ with them," Clint said, obviously angry.

They approached the trio, both keeping their steps silent and Loki looked over their shoulders to see the screen. It was showing an image of them entering his room, then fast-forwarding all the way to just an hour ago; Loki assumed that this was to show that neither of them had left the room again after going in. Natasha was peeking between them, a frown on her features.

Loki decided to break their silence. "I should have expected you to be spying on me." The three jumped, having not heard the Black Widow and the God of Mischief approach. "You wanted to see us, Directors?"

Fury, the least guilty looking of the three, nodded. "We did." He turned to Clint. "If that is all, Agent Barton, you may go."

Clint didn't look happy, but nodded anyway. "Yes, sir." He marched out, giving Loki a death-glare as he passed him. Loki merely smirked in return, which he knew would anger the man further, but he couldn't resist.

Tony pointed to the screen. "As much as it isn't our business, we have to stress that you two keep the intimacy confined to when you're off-duty. We don't need it getting in the way of the job."

Natasha didn't so much as bat an eyelash. "Of course, Director Stark."

Tony looked at Loki, who was still smirking. "As you wish."

"Good," Fury said. "Now that that's out of the way, we have a mission for the two of you."

"Um, if I may: why me?" Loki asked. "Last time I checked, I wasn't a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers."

Fury nodded. "True, but, you are our ally. Time to prove you can be of use to us."

"What is the mission?" Natasha inquired, her mind going into Agent Mode.

"Yesterday, we got a report from our Norway base, telling of increased seismic activity in Jan Mayen, nothing to really worry about," Fury told them. Loki remembered the report, having been the one to read it.

Tony picked up where Fury left off. "The activity spiked this morning and the volcano Beerenberg erupted, explosively. There was a team in the area that tried to evacuate the staff that were on the island as soon as the eruption started."

"Then," Fury continued, "we recieved a call from the base and they sent us an audio recording from a call made by one of their agents. It's because of the contents of this recording that we need you two. Stark."

Tony tapped a few things on the screen and the room was filled with sound.

_"Sir! Call the Director! There something here!"_

_"What is it? What do you see?"_

_ "I don't know, but it's enormous!"_

The words were clear, as were the sounds of explosions in the distance. Then, under all of the other sounds, Loki's sharp hearing picked up the sound of deep, thunderous laughter, then the sound of something rushing through the air. _**What in the Nine Realms...?**_

_"OH MY G-"_

The noise ended abruptly, being swallowed by silence. Natasha was frowning. "What was that?"

"The last words of the agent in charge of the team on the island before base lost all contact with them." Tony, for once, wasn't joking.

"What do you need us to do?" Natasha questioned. Loki was still wracking his brain for any clue as to what he had heard may be.

"We need the two of you to go to Jan Mayen and investigate," Fury said. "See if you can discover what happened to the team and the Station's staff. And, look for any clue as to what the agent had seen before we lost contact. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Loki nodded grimly.

"Good, you depart immediately," Tony informed them. "A Quinjet is already ready and waiting for you in the airfield. Get going, and don't get killed."

Natasha saluted while Loki simply smiled. "Time to suit up." Loki said with a smile, morphing his clothes into his armor, minus the helm and cape, for now.

Natasha nodded and headed to the armory and exchanging her casual wear for her leather body-suit. She made sure to grab an extra gun and extra ammunition; she didn't know what kind of trouble they may run into, but wanted to be as prepared as she could. She was comforted by the fact that she would have a god watching her back on this mission.

Loki was already on the jet when she got there, standing with his scepter in hand, a smirk firmly in place on his face. "Finally," he breathed with false sarcasm.

She scowled playfully at him, knowing he was only teasing her. "Keep it up, Loki. I'll shoot you."

Lok held his hands up in mock fear as he took a seat in one of the built-in chairs, "Don't shoot! I come in peace." He paused and cocked his head. "Now, why does this seem familiar?" A slow smile spread over his face as the loading door closed behind Natasha. "Oh, yes, I remember. Got any handcuffs, Natasha?"

Natasha patted one of the pouches on her belt. "Always. And I won't hesitate to use them." She was smiling too.

"Ooh, kinky...ow!" He rubbed his arm where Natasha had punched him.

**XXXX**

They arrived in Jan Mayen, Norway late in the afternoon. Even before they landed, they could see that something was definately wrong. Loki could feel something, a dark, malevolent force that aroused a deep-rooted fear within him.

The volcano was easily visible, with a thick plume of smoke still billowing out of it, blocking their view of the opening.

Large portions of the island were blackened and burned, with flames still spreading.

The pilot maneuvered the jet to fly over what was left of the small settlement where the station staff lived. Only a few of the buildings remained intact, the rest were nothing but smoldering ruins.

"What the hell happened here?" the Pilot wondered aloud.

Natasha frowned, peering out of the front window. "That's what we're here to find out." She noticed a small clearing just outside the settlement. "Put us down over there. No need to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves."

The pilot nodded and brought the jet around for a landing. When they were making their approach, something slammed into the side of the jet, sending it into a spin. The hit was powerful enough to make the Pilot's head smash into the controls and his hands fall lifelessly from them. Natasha was thrown backwards from where she had been standing, only to be caught by Loki before she could hit the wall herself.

The jet was spiralling downward at a rapid pace, flames clinging to the exterior. Soon, they would crash. Natasha wasn't sure they could survive it.

Loki used his superior strength to hold them upright as he pulled the ramp-release lever. The back of the jet began to open, filling the small interior with the sound of rushing wind. Loki pulled Natasha closer to him and looked to her scared face. "Do you trust me?" he yelled over the wind in their ears. Natasha nodded quickly; what other choise did she have? "Hold on to me. Tight."

Natasha did as she was told, wrapping her arms around Loki's body, her hands clutching the fabric on the back of his armored coat.

Loki's own arms wrapped around her, securing her to him. He bent his legs and then lauched them out the back of the jet, through the open ramp. A second later, the jet exploded behind them, shards of blazing debris slicing the air in all directions, luckly none of the fragments struck them.

They were in free-fall, and Natasha felt her stomach clench. All she could think was that they were surely going to die. She felt Loki's arms tighten around her. _**There are worse ways to go than this,**_ she consoled herself, burying her face against Loki's chest.

Loki twisted in the air, so that he was beneath her. A second later he pushed her away, upward so as to reduce the velocity of her fall to a level that she could walk away from, then the ground inpacted hard with his back, with his body taking the brunt of the collision. He felt the breath leave his body and the edges of his vision go dark. He felt Natasha land on top of him and looked at her. She was looking around, and she seemed shocked, like she couldn't believe they were still alive.

Her eyes sought his and found pain in them. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice small.

Loki nodded as Natasha crawled off of him, unhurt. He pulled himself into a sitting position, gasping in pain as felt the muscles in his back protest the movement. Natasha immediately reached out to help support him.

Her mind was having a hard time processing what had just happened. _**Loki saved me...protected me.**_ That thought was all that ran through her mind. The Trickster smiled. "Well, that clears that up," he said, chuckling.

"Clears what up?" Natasha was confused now; Loki was making no sense. Had the fall damaged his head? She started looking for wounds on his head, she found none.

"Whether or not we are immortal, as every one seems to believe. Good to know that falling from a thousand feet won't kill me." He smiled a pained smile.

_**Whether or not...He didn't know?**_ "You mean to tell me that you took that fall without knowing for sure if you would survive?" Loki nodded.

She slapped him.

Loki held a hand to his cheek, checking for bruising. The next thing he knew, he was being hugged. "Don't ever do that again," Natasha ordered, her voice slightly muffled by the fact that she had her face pressed into his shoulder.

Loki could only nod, unsure as how to react to the unexpected show of emotion from his normally in-control companion. She looked up at him, a small tear sliding its way down her cheek. He reached up and wiped it away, his fingers gentle against her soft, smooth skin. "This is the second time you've cried for me." It wasn't a question, rather a statement of confirmation. But, still, she nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

Any further conversation was ended when the ground beneath them shook and more flames spewed from the volcano. Suddenly, their suroundings were brought back to their attention, as was the mission and the situation at hand.

Natasha let go of Loki and stood up. Loki pulled himself to his feet, the pain lesser now as his natural healing ability kicked in and began repairing the damage from the fall. They traded glances, silently saying that they would talk more later, then set off to the remains of Olonkinbyen, the only settlement on the island.

The settlement was silent, save for the sound of the flames still burning on a few of the buildings. Natasha reached to her ear, feeling for the small radio that she had there to comunicate with base. It wasn't there. _**Shit.**_

She turned to Loki. "We need to find a radio or a working phone and call base, have them send another jet for us."

Loki nodded and pointed to the only remaining buildings. One looked to be the weather station itself and the othere was a house of a sort. "Let's check in there. You take the dwelling."

Natasha nodded and headed to the bland house-like structure. She opened the door and stepped inside. It was dark and quiet, with only the sound of her breathing reaching her ears.

She searched the entire place thoroughly, until she reached the back room. On the floor was the corpse of a woman, her skin blackened from smoke and burns. _**This building is untouched. That means she was either carried or dragged here. But, by who?**_

She got her answer when she suddenly had to duck to avoid a metal pipe that was swung at her face. She rolled closer to her attacker, her killer instincts kicking in.

She swept her leg out, taking the legs from under her assailant. She then rolled atop of him, her hands going to his neck. The man was able to throw her off and get back to his feet. Natasha returned to her feet as well and began her own attack.

She ran at the man and jumped, using a nearby chair to get better height, wrapping her legs around his neck and twisting her body so that her momentum flipped him onto his back, with her still standing. The man landed with a thud but began to climb back to his feet.

He was on his hands and knees, struggling to stand. She seized the oppertunity and dove at him, one of her arms wrapping around his head, and her body spinning her onto her back. The force of her roll was enough to snap the man's neck in a single motion.

When the haze of the fight cleared, she stared in horror at what she had just done. On the floor at her feet was a middle-aged man in a suit, a S.H.I.E.L.D. I.D. card hanging from his jacket. She backed away in shock, her hand going to her mouth. _** What have I...?**_

Over the years, she had been able to control her killer insticts, and avoid incidents of this nature, but, every once in a while, she would slip. Now was one of those times. She knelt next to the man and pressed two fingers to his neck, where the artery would be, hoping to feel a pulse. There was none.

She was about to stand when she noticed something; a radio device in his ear. She felt a small wave of relief, but she could still feel the guilt weighing heavy on her heart. She plucked the device up and put it in her own ear, pressing the button on it. "_Hva er situasjonen?_" a male voice asked from the other end.

Natasha knew enough Norwegian to understand what he was asking. "This is Agent Natasha Romanoff, Level One, clearance code 224-5786. I need you to patch me through to Director Fury at the New York office."

"_Ett øyeblikk._"

She nodded and waited. A second later, she heard Fury's voice. "Agent Romanoff, what's the situation?"

"Our jet was shot down. The agents that were already here are dead. We aren't sure what did this yet but we'll continue the search until back up arrives." She was trembling slightly, but her voice was even.

"Help is on its way. Hold tight and stay alive. If you find anything, report it immdiately. I've had the radio you're using set to my frequency for quicker and easier comunication."

"Yes, sir. Romanoff, out."

She released the button and stood up. She made her way back out of the building and took a deep, calming breath. She heard a door open to her right and turned her head. Loki emerged from the next building over and shook his head, indicating that he had found nothing.

He walked over to her. "Nothing, not even corpses."

"There's two in there." She jerked her thumb behind her. "One from smoke-inhalation, and the other from.." She fought back her gag reflex as she remembered her actions. "...from a broken neck." She looked at her boots guiltily. Loki noticed this and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, saying nothing. "I didn't mean to kill him, but, everything happened so fast. He was one of ours."

Loki was not experienced at comforting anyone, least of all women, so this was new territory for him. "Try not to think about it. It wasn't your fault." She nodded weakly as another explosion rocked the ground under their feet. Loki decided to change the subject. "Did you find a radio?"

Natasha nodded and tapped her ear. "Fury's sending backup. Let's continue the search.

**XXXX**

They checked all around the area, finding nothing. When the sun started going down, they returned to the settlement, taking refuge in the building that Loki had searched earlier; Natasha refused to go back in the other building, even though it had beds. Instead, Loki had gone in and returned with a matress and some blankets for her. He laid them out in the main room and then sat himself against the wall.

Natasha laid down and looked over at him. "Where are you sleeping?" Loki smirked and patted the floor under beneath him. Natasha sat up and pulled the covers back. "Come on. We're going to need all the sleep we can get and I know how hard it is to sleep in a hard surface; you'll be completely stiff by morning." When Loki still looked unsure, she sighed. "Come on. It's not like we haven't slept together before."

Loki sighed and gave in, ignoring her choice of wording, and moved over to join her on the matress. He pulled the thin blankets over them and settled in. Natasha did same, shifting so that her back was against Loki's chest. Taking the hint, Loki put his arm around her, pulling her closer. A few minutes later, she had drifted off.

Sleep did not come so easily to Loki. He could not shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong on the island. Whatever had done all of this damage, and shot their plane down, was not something so natural as the volcano.

The entire time he was searching the area, he had felt as though he were being watched, though from a great distance. Whatever it was, it wasn't friendly, he could feel that much.

He looked down at the woman asleep in his arms. _**Min Kjære, what have we gotten ourselves into?**_ Though a simple question, he felt that it covered so many different things that he was feeling. What were they up against? What dangers did it pose? What were these strange feelings stirring in him? Did she feel them too? Would they get the chance to find out? Was there a future for them?

His head was clouded from so many thoughts, so many questions, and, as tends to happen when one lets their mind wander when waiting for sleep, sleep overcame him without a warning, and he slipped into it without resistance.

**XXXX**

Surtur watched the Asgardian and the mortal as they wandered about in the area of the mortal village. Then he saw them disappear into one of the dwellings when the sun went down.

Surtur was not a kind being, but he would wait until dawn to strike them down; he wanted to see the fear in their eyes right before they were burned alive. The last of his power was returning, and soon, the time to strike Odin down would be at hand. This thought brought a smile to his face.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down! Hope you all enjoyed. Also, I hope that things aren't moving too quickly between Loki and Natasha. Let me know. Review, not flame.**

**Til neste gang.**

**-Atrocity.**

_**Hva er situasjonen? - What is the situation? (Norwegian)**_

_**Ett øyablikk - One moment. (Norwegian)**_

_**Min Kjære - My Dear. (Norwegian)**_


	13. ReAssembled

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, therefore, I do not own Avengers, or anything else owned by them.**

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, my friends. This chapter is chaotic in nature, or at least that's what I aimed for. I just hope that it can still be easily followed. Read. Review. Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XIII: ReAssembled**

**'The wait is soon at end. Always charge never bend. Morning is here, make your stand. Live for honor, glory, death in fire! Total war is here, face it without fear. Age of sword, age of spear. Fight for honor, glory, death in fire!'**

**-Death in Fire by Amon Amarth.**

"Agent Romanoff and Loki are in need of reinforcements. Their quinjet was shot down and they are stranded in hostile territory with an unknown enemy. I've called you all together to go in and aid them in any way possible." Fury paced in front of the others as he spoke. Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Thor and Tony Stark all stood, ready to depart. "Stark, you're in command of this mission, now."

Tony nodded. "Don't run this place into the ground while I'm gone."

Fury smirked. "You have your orders. Get moving."

Tony clapped his hands. "You heard the man. Let's get moving!"

They were in the air ten minutes later, their jet speeding off into the night.

Thor was plagued with worry for his brother. What manner of harm had befallen him and Agent Romanoff? He knew that not much in this realm could harm Loki, but he was his brother, and he worried anyway. He only hoped to find them both alive when they arrived.

Steve was the image of calm. He knew that Agent Romanoff could handle herself, and Loki was nigh invincible. It had taken the Hulk to bring him down before, he doubted that there were many foes on Earth that could stand toe-to-toe with the Trickster. He wasn't all that worried about them, yet he still hoped that they were okay.

Tony seemed indifferent, but the mere fact that he was already wearing his armor said that he was expecting trouble. Their mission was to find Loki and Natasha, then take down whoever had shot them from the sky. It seemed simple enough, but, he had learned that anything involving S.H.I.E.L.D., or gods, rarely was. He urged the pilot to increase their speed; he didn't want to leave his friends out there alone for a minute longer than necessary.

For his part, Clint was only worried about Natasha. He could care less what had become of Loki; he could be dead for all he cared. He would not accept that the Trickster had turned over a new leaf and become a friend. He still longed for the chance to put an arrow through his eye-socket. His only thought was that Natasha had better be safe when they arrived or he would kill Loki himself.

**XXXX**

In Kolkata, in the slums, a Stark phone began to ring. Its owner, a man in his early to mid-thirties with dark hair and lightly tanned skin, rolled over in his bed and reached for the device, answering it so that it would stop ringing. "Banner."

"Doctor, we need your help," Nick Fury's voice said in his ear.

"Mine, or the other guy's?" Bruce asked, sitting up in the bed.

"Both."

Bruce sighed and rubbed his eyes, clearing away the sleep. He really didn't want to be dragged into another global catastrophy. "How can I help?"

"There is a jet on its way to the outskirts of Kolkata, near where you met with Agent Romanoff, last time. Be there and board the plane. I'll contact you on a more secure line and give you the details then."

Bruce shook his head to himself. "I haven't said I'll do it yet."

"Doesn't matter, Doctor, we need you." Fury's voice was dead serious.

Bruce took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright. I'll be there."

"Thank you."

Bruce hung up the phone and crawled from the small bed he had been laying on, pulling on the first set of clothes he could find, then hurried to the pick-up spot.

In the last year or so since the Battle for New York, he had had fewer incidents involving the Hulk than ever before. He still could not control it, but he had learned to guide it and point it in the right direction, just as he had during the battle. Whatever he had to face this time, he would do his best to lead the Hulk down the right path.

**XXXX The Next Day**

The sun appeared over the horizon, casting a golden-orange light over the land. Surtur soaked up its warmth with relish. The time had come to end the lives of the Asgardian and the mortal that was with him.

He gathered his power and unleashed a blast of flames down toward the ruined village, his aim on one of the remaining buildings. It was decimated in a spray of flames, the different materials that it was contructed of scattered into a burning mess.

**XXXX**

Loki's eyes snapped open as a rushing noise reached his ears. A second later, the world shook around them as an explosion tore through the building next to the one they slept in. He was on his feet in a second, Natasha, who had awakened as well, was right behind him. He grabbed her hand and ran from the building just before it was destroyed as well.

This time, he was able to see where the attack had come from. His eyes followed a smoke trail that descended from the volcano. "That wasn't an eruption," Natasha said, having seen the attack as well.

Loki trained his eyes on where he guessed the peak of the volcano would be. For a short second, a section of smoke cleared enough to reveal a sight that made Loki's insides turn to ice.

In the mouth of the volcano stood a giant, its body cloaked in flame, two massive curved horns atop its head. In its hand was a great sword. The giant had to be at least a thousand feet tall.

Only in the old stories had he heard of such a being. He vividly remembered Odin relaying the battle between himself and his brothers against the Fire Giant Surtur. The battle had claimed the lives of Odin's brothers, who had gifted Odin their power with their final breaths, giving him the strength to defeat Surtur and seal him away.

That was the beast that stood high above them, he was sure of it. Surtur, the legendary fire demon, Lord of Muspelheim.

He looked at Natasha. She wouldn't survive an attack from Surtur. He would burn her away without hesitation or effort.

"We need to move, now!" he said, pulling her out of the clearing and into the shelter of some nearby trees. Once they were under the cover of the canopy, he spoke agian. "Get a line to Fury, we have to let them know what we're up against." He looked in the direction of the volcano and cursed under his breath; he could still scarsely believe it. Surtur was free and in Midgard.

**XXXX**

Tony stood in the bay of the jet, his Iron Man armor adorning his body. He looked over the others, all in various states of preparation. Clint was checking his arrows, Steve was strapping on his helmet and securing his Shield to his arm; Thor was pacing agitatedly near the ramp, passing his Hammer from hand to hand as he waited for the ramp to open and allow them to deploy.

Tony checked with the pilot, "How much further to the drop site?"

"Five minutes, Sir."

He nodded and walked back to stand next to Thor. He watched the God of Thunder for a second; his high levels of anxiety and worry were starting to have an effect on the others. "Um, Thor, could you stop that? You're starting to make me nervous."

Thor turned his gaze to Tony, then sighed and leaned against the wall. Tony nodded his thanks and activated the helmet of his suit. The metal surrounded his head and his normal view was replaced by his standard Heads-up Display. Not a second later, JARVIS's voice spoke into his ear. "Sir, there is an incoming call from Director Fury."

"Patch him through." He saw an image of Fury appear on his HUD along with a call-status display. "Hey, One-eye, what's up?"

"Stark, I've just recieved contact from Romanoff and Loki." Fury said, his voice urgent.

"Yeah? They tired of their island vacation already?"

"This is no time for jokes Stark."

"Sorry. Did they find out what we're up against yet?"

"Yes. That's why I called."

"Alright, out with it. What the damage?"

"It's a demon named Surtur. I wasn't able to get much information out of them, I lost connection with them almost immediately, so that's all we know. Thor may be able to tell you more." Fury paused. "Stark, from the way they sounded, this thing is not going to be your average opponent, don't take any unnecessary risks. I've already got some more backup for you headed your way."

Tony nodded, even though he knew Fury couldn't see it. "Alright, thanks, Nick. Stark, out."

Tony lifted the front mask of his helmet. "Thor, Loki and Natasha called Fury. It seems we're up against something called Surtur. Know anything about that?"

Thor's head snapped up, his eyes had gone wider than usual. "Surtur?" Tony nodded. "You are sure?" Another nod. "Then we are outmatched." Every one of his fellow Avengers, those that were present anyway, were looking at him, waiting for him to continue. "Surtur is the Demon Lord of the Realm of Muspelheim, a place not unlike your dipiction of Hell. He stands over three-hundred meters tall, and wields a sword of nearly the same length."

Needless to say, Tony was starting to grasp the depth of trouble they were in. "How can we beat him?"

"Is he vulnerable to physical attacks or would that be suicide?" Clint asked, returning the arrow he was holding to his quiver and strapping it to his back.

"Surtur's body is nearly completely covered in flames, I do not know of any weak spots. The only information I have comes from the tales that my father told Loki and I as children." He was itching to begin pacing again, his worry for Loki having increased drastically. "My father was able to defeat him and seal his power away, once. But, that was when he was still young, and he had his brothers to help. Only after they granted him their power was he able to overcome the demon; though he did say that Surtur could be harmed by extreme cold."

"So, basically, we stand very little chance of surviving this," Steve stated.

"Not so," Thor corrected. "There is still a chance, slim as it may be."

"And what is that?" Clint asked.

"If you have a plan of action, Thor, please share it," Tony told him, feeling that he may be in over his head a bit with this mission.

Thor clutched his Hammer fiercely. "If we can hold Surtur off until my father awakes, then we may stand a chance. Then, my father, Loki and I will use our combined power to defeat him."

Steve shook his head. "That's a long-shot."

Tony nodded. "We have no idea when your dad may wake up. For all we know, by the time he does, we could all have been barbequed along with the rest of the world."

"I know," Thor sighed, "but it's the only plan we've got."

**XXXX**

A spray of fire scorched the air, searing away a large section of the forest they were running through. Loki was just a few steps ahead of Natasha, scepter in hand and face set in grim determination.

"We need to get out of these trees!" Natasha shouted over the roar of flames. "We'll be trapped if this fire spreads."

Loki knew that she was right, which was why he was leading them toward the volcano rather than away from it. The rocks and stone would provide better cover. Also, he needed to get closer to the giant, so as to have even a small chance of a counter-attack. _**It's times like this that I wish I could fly like Thor.**_ He had tried on many occasions to use his magic to allow him sustained flight, and all attempts had failed; he could never quite grasp the skill.

Instead, he had used his magic to augment his natural physical abilities. With his normal strength, he could leap close to thirty feet from a standing position, forty if he had a running start. With his magic, those numbers were more than tripled. he could travel great distance with a single bound, but he could not hold a few seconds of flight.

"What the hell is that thing?" Natasha yelled up to him. Loki had only been able to say the name 'Surtur' before their signal was broken and they had to start running for their lives.

"Surtur, Demon Lord of Muspelheim. He's a Fire Giant, one of the oldest. It is said that one day he will destroy Asgard and bring with him the heralding of Ragnarok." They ducked as another stream of flames tore through the trees behind them. "Come on, we're almost there!" They increased their pace.

They reached a small hollow in the ground near the base of the mountain. Sensing the incoming attack, Loki grabbed Natasha and drug her down with him, the flames passing harmlessly over their heads.

The heat and the long run had them both breathing heavily and drenched in sweat and their clothing stuck to them uncomfortably; Loki's hair was plastered to his head, some loose strands laying against his forehead; Natasha's was laying straight, having lost some of its volume thanks to the dampness. The only upside to the sweat was that it was cool against their skin, offering some small comfort against the heat of the flames in the cold northern air.

Loki looked around, assuring himself that the cover of their current location would be adequate. "Alright, I'm going to draw his fire," he said, standing and shifting his scepter into spear form.

Natasha looked around as well. "What about me?" She refused to sit back and let Loki do all the work and be the only one in harms way; she wasn't a damsel, after all.

"Try and find some high ground and get a signal on the radio. I'll cover you, just see where that backup we were promised is." He knew that Natasha could handle herself, but he also knew that she stood little to no chance against this enemy; he wasn't even sure that he stood a chance, but he had to try.

Natasha nodded reluctantly. Her job was important, in that it was up to her to make sure that their allies made it to their position; it was Loki's to make sure they got there in one piece. "Be careful." she told him, her voice brokering no room for argument.

Loki let a smirk grace his face. "I shall be the image of caution, _Min Kjære_."

Natasha felt her lips twitch upward at this, knowing enough Norwegian to understand what he was implying. The notion had an unexpectedly pleasant effect on her. She pushed those thoughts aside for now though, and focused on the situation at hand.

Loki turned, smirk still in place, and leaped up to a small outcropping, letting the rest of his armor appear. Surtur was not facing him, and was rather watching something in the distance. Loki took advantage of his distraction to get closer. Once he was with range, he sent a large blast of energy from the tip of his spear.

The blast struck Surtur near his jaw, leaving a small energy burn on the demon's red flesh. The demon growled and turned to face Loki. A rumble sounded, sending tremors through the earth at his feet. At first Loki thought that the volcano was going to erupt again, until he realized what the sound truly was. Surtur was laughing. His voice was like thunder. "Foolish little godling. You dare to stand agianst me?" Instead of answering, Loki sent another blast at Surtur's face, striking his cheek.

Surtur growled again and swung his sword down at him. Loki dove to the side, using his magic to keep him from plungeing back down the moutainside. Surtur lifted his sword back up, leaving a great canyon of a gash in the side of the volcano. He swung again, and again Loki was able to dodge. He used the time it took Surtur to lift his sword to get closer, every move enhanced by the magic that he let flow through his veins; the more he appeared as a threat, the more focus Surtur would place on him, and the safer Natasha would be. _**Do your worst, demon!**_

**XXXX**

"Thirty seconds to drop!"

Tony turned to the others. "Alright, guys. This is it. First thing we do is rendezvous with Natasha and Loki, then plan our attack. Any questions?" No one spoke up. "Good. Clint, You're with me. Cap, you're with Thor. Parachutes are too slow on the descent, and present too easy a target." He looked out the front window, seeing the large smoke plume emmitted from the peak. "Land near the base of the volcano, the rocks will provide cover." Clint walked over and clutched to the back of Tony's armor, while Thor grabbed Steve by the back of his uniform. Tony punched the button to open the ramp. "Follow my lead."

Once the ramp was all the way down, Tony activated his thrusters and sped from the jet, followed closely by Thor.

Tony used his HUD to scan the terrain below for signs of life. He finally found the first blip near the base of the volcano not far from where he had been planning to land. JARVIS zoomed in on the figure, revealing Natasha, kneeling with her hand to her ear. She looked up and locked her eyes on them, said something, then began to wave at them, trying to get their attention.

Tony adjusted course and increased his speed. On his back, Clint was also scanning the area through the goggles he wore, looking for any signs of movement, whether they be friends or foe. His eyes caught motion and focused on something close to the peak of the volcano that resembled the blade of a sword, but the smoke was too thick to get a clear view, whatever it was, it was huge.

Tony reversed his thrusters to bring himself to a stop. He then switched them so that he could lower himself and Clint to the ground for a clean and smooth landing. Thor and Steve landed a bit roughly, not having the control that Tony had, though Thor managed to avoid dropping Steve into the dirt.

Natasha ran over to them, looking exhausted. Tony lifted his mask. "Natasha, you guys alright?" He noticed that she was alone and searched around for Loki, not seeing him anywhere. "Where's Loki?"

Natasha looked up toward the peak of the volcano. They all followed her gaze, trying to see what she was looking at. It was Hawkeye that saw him first. "There. Just below the peak, where the smoke is clearest."

Sure enough, there he was, spear in hand, jumping from place to place blasting shots of energy at what Tony had to guess was Surtur. "What the hell was he thinking?" Tony demanded.

"It matters not. We must help him," Thor said, readying his Hammer to fly up and join his brother. Just then, a loud roar shook the island and the smoke cleared enough for them all to see just what Loki was facing off against.

"The hell...?" Steve's jaw went slack. He had heard Thor mention the size of this beast, but even the knowledge was not enough to prepare him for the sight of the great and terrible demon. "How are we supposed to fight that thing?"

However we can." Tony re-engaged the mask of his helmet. "Loki seems to have him sufficiently distracted, let's see if we can get the drop on him before he realizes we're here." He looked from Avenger to Avenger. "Thor, you stand the best chance of us all; give your brother a hand. The rest of us will take potshots at him and try to keep his attention divided."

Thor nodded and flew off to join Loki in his assault. Clint lifted his goggles and studied the target. "We're like ants to this guy."

"Well, your average fire ant collony can kill a full-grown rat, and cause severe damage to other animals," Tony informed him. "If we work together and watch each other's backs, we stand a chance. Steve, your Shield should provide enough protection for you, but Clint, you and Natasha will have to use the terrain." They all nodded. Tony walked behind Clint and Natasha, grabbing onto their uniforms. He nodded to Steve, then engaged his thrusters, carrying the two agents up the mountain to a location that would provide cover and was within firing range of Clint's bow. Steve used his enhanced physique to swiftly climb up to join them.

After dropping them off, Tony flew up to where Thor and Loki were alternating attacks on Surtur. He launched a series of mini-missiles from their launchers in the shoulders of his armor. They sped through the air, spiralling around each other, before detonating against Surtur's upper chest. The force of the explosions was enough to make the Giant flinch, but not enough to cause significant damage. "Damn."

**XXXX**

Loki dodged the blade again. He was running out of energy, he was tiring. He could use his magical abilities to enhance his natural attributes for a short time, but using it for this long in a constant manner was reducing his reserves quickly.

He landed and prepared to attack, but was caught off guard when Surtur used his previous momentum to slice a large chunk of the volcano off and send it flying toward him. He stumbled back, tripping and falling onto his back. He raised his arms to cover his head as the enormous slab of earth was about to come crashing down on him.

A sound like thunder cracked the air and Loki felt smaller fragments of rock hit him. He opened his eyes to see Thor standing in front of him, Mjolnir in hand and the slab laying in peices around them. Thor stepped over to him and held out his hand. Loki grasped it and was pulled back to his feet. "Took you long enough," he said, a tired smile on his face.

Thor grinned. "Sorry, brother, Tony insisted we stop for drive-through."

Loki snorted at his brother's joke. "Well, now that you are here, we can get to work on sending this demon to Hel."

They both jumped in opposite directions as Surtur brought his blade down at them. "Another Asgardian?"

Thor stared up at Surtur, his eyes defiant. "I am Thor Odinson. Prepare yourself Surtur, my brother and I shall soon send you back to the fiery pit from whence you came!"

Surtur's gaze flicked to Loki. "Brother? So, the Allfather sends his children to face me; too weak and full of fear to do so himself."

Thor growled and Loki gripped his Spear tighter. "On three, brother. One...-"

"Three!" Thor leaped upward, Mjolnir drawn back to strike. Loki followed suit after rolling his eyes at Thor's impatience for battle. Thor's Hammer impacted with Surtur's chest, staggering him and knocking him off balance. Loki came in next with a focused blast from his Spear at point-blank range into the same place that Mjolnir had struck.

A mighty bellow from Surtur clued them in that some damage had been dealt. For the first time since the discovery of their foe, Loki dared hope that they could triumph in this fight.

An explosion caused Surtur to flinch further. Loki cast a quick glance upward to see Iron Man fly passed. He grinned and redoubled his efforts. He would not let himself go down without a fight.

**XXXX**

Down below the fighting, Natasha stood, watching as Thor, Loki and Tony all battled the massive Fire Giant. Seeing them face something so powerful made her feel small and useless. _**What good can I do here?**_

She looked down at the guns in her hands, then at the bow in Clint's. Would their weapons even be able to penetrate Surtur's skin? _**There's only one way to find out,**_ she told herself. She leveled her guns at Surtur's exposed face, making sure that none of her teammates were in her line of fire before squeezing the triggers.

Five bullets were fired from her guns, flying toward their target too quickly for the eye to see. A second after they left the barrels, Surtur gave an angry snarl as the hand not holding his sword flew to his face, covering his left eye.

Thor took advantage of this and unleashed a devistating bolt of lightning into Surtur's chest, causing him to topple backwards against the rim of the volcano's opening.

Natasha felt eyes on her and turned to find Clint looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged and turned her attention back to the battle. Clint did the same, drawing one of his arrows from the quiver on his back. He drew back the string and let the arrow fly. A few short seconds later, the arrow exploded against the hand that Surtur had covered his eye with, forcing him to remove it from his face.

Natasha continued to fire at Surtur's vulnerable eyes, hoping to keep him busy protecting them and leaving the rest of himself exposed for the others to attack. Clint joined her in this effort. They may not be able to do much in the way of damage, but they would do what they could.

**XXXX**

Loki sagged heavily against a rock, using his Spear for extra support. He was nearing the end of his rope, with his energy pool running dangerously low. He watched the others continue the assault, each playing their own part; even Natasha and Clint had found a way to help out by trying to damage Surtur's eyes; it seemed to be working so far.

Captain America had joined them in directly attacking Surtur by throwing his Shield at the Giant; this combined with Thor's Hammer strikes were enough to keep the demon off-balance, though it didn't seem that the Shield had much physical effect on the Fire Giant.

Loki snarled and threw himself back into the fight, jumping up at Surtur's chest and stabbing his Spear into the exposed flesh. The blade of the Spear sliced through the tissue and Loki all of his strength to drag it further through, leaving a long gash across the Giant's torso.

He yanked the Spear free and jumped away, landing on the rim of the volcano. He was breathing hard, and his muscles were burning from having run so far and then his extended fighting.

He was not built for this type of battle, he was not a warrior like Thor or Steve. He did not have the physical conditioning required for extended combat. He reached into the core of the well of power within him, drawing out as much as he could spare to rejuvenate his body.

Having paused for too long to heal himself, he was a sitting duck for Surtur. The great blade descended upon him as Loki stared up in wide-eyed fear.

A familiar bellow sounded and Loki's view was blocked by a great green silhouette. The Hulk stood over him, Surtur's blade caught and held securely on his shoulder. The behemoth of a beast looked over his shoulder at Loki, and gave a 'hmph' before shoving the blade aside and charging in to join the fight.

Loki breathed a sigh of relief and followed Banner. And so the battle continued.

**XXXX**

Natasha's breath caught and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Surtur's sword about to slam down on Loki. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she watched. She kept waiting for Loki to move, but he did not, only stared up at his doom.

She shouted something, she wasn't sure what, and tried to climb up to him, knowing that she would be far too late to pull him from harm's way, but desperate to try despite that.

She closed her eyes just before the blade found its mark, not wanting to see Loki's life snuffed out like a candle. The mere thought was painful enough to make her eyes sting with welling tears.

She heard a shout-like roar and her eyes snapped open. She wanted cry tears of relief, or give a shout of joy, but all she could manage was a deeply relieved sigh. She had never been so happy to the Hulk in her entire life.

**XXXX**

In New York, far beneath the city in an underground bunker below the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Odin stirred. The golden glow that had enveloped him for the past week or so began to dissipate. Something was wrong, he could feel it. When the last of the glow faded, Odin's eye snapped open.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know: Review, not flame.**

**Takk for at du leser. Til neste møte vi. (Thank you for reading. Until next we meet)**

**-Atrocity. **


	14. Shadow of the Past

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or any other Marvel properties.**

**A/N: Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Oh wait...that was yesterday...oops. Hehe. :]**

**Thank you for the reviews. Here's the second part of the battle with Surtur. I hope that it lives up to your expectations. Read. Review. Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XIV: Shadow of the Past**

**'Under the winter skies we stand glorious, and with Oden on our side we are victorious! No retreat, no remorse. Victory will be ours. Blood on steel, sacrifice. Victory will be ours.'**

**-With Oden On Our Side by Amon Amarth.**

Night had fallen, the sun disappearing below the horizon, plunging the world into darkness. On the slopes of Beerenberg, two brothers, the sons of Odin, still fought on, alongside the Hulk, against the Fire Giant, Surtur, whose flames provided just enough light for them to see by.

Far below them, the rest of their allies watched on, helpless, unable to offer assistance. In the dark, neither Natasha nor Clint could risk firing their weapons, lest they take the risk of hitting their allies. Tony's suit was running low on power after the long hours of combat, and Steve's Shield was of little effect against the demon's thick skin.

Loki, the God of Mischief, dove to avoid Surtur's blade while Thor and Hulk charged in to deal as much damage as they could manage. He was ready to drop, the only thing keeping him going was adrenaline and the thought that he had come too far to let himself meet his end at the hands of this damned Fire Giant. That, and he couldn't let everyone down. _**I refuse to fall here!**_

He grit his teeth and unleashed a flurry of blasts from his spear before leaping up to slash at the beast's face. The Giant never saw the attack coming since his eye had been damaged by Clint and Natasha's barrage of long-distance shots. He was able leave a long cut across Surtur's face, giving the demon cause to let out a primal growl.

Thor, capitalizing on the moment of weakness, followed up with a bolt of lightning, staggering the beast. They had yet to bring Surtur off his feet, but they had dealt plenty of damage to him; more than they had thought possible.

He saw Tony land near Thor, and then Thor sent a blast of lightning at the Iron Man armor. Tony staggered for a moment, then stood upright and lifted into the air, seemingly ready to rejion the battle.

While Hulk continued his assault, joined by Tony. Loki landed next to his brother and took a second to catch his breath, all the while monitoring the situation so as to not be caught off guard again. "We can't keep this up. We are outmatched."

Thor shook his head and prepared another lightning strike. "I will not flee, brother. We are all that stands between Midgard and Surtur's fire.."

Loki nodded, conceding the fact. He readied his spear, building a powerful orb of energy around the tip. "On three. One...two...three!" Together, they released their attacks, letting them blend into one. The sparking, pulsing beam sped toward the unsuspecting Surtur, who was preoccupied trying to swat away the Hulk. The explosion from the collision sent out a shockwave that nearly knocked the two gods off their feet. When the dusk settled, they discovered that Surtur was now kneeling, clutching at his upper abdomen.

Loki flashed a tired grin at Thor and the two charged forward to renew the attack. However, Surtur was not as wounded as he had appeared and he swung out with his sword, batting them from the air as if they were mere flies.

Thor landed hard but was able to roll with the impact and avoid too much damage from the fall. He groaned in pain but was back on his feet in a matter of seconds, Hammer ready and his jaw set.

Loki was not so lucky. He tried to call on his magic to catch him, and right himself, but the call was not aswered, and he crashed headlong into a small stone outcropping, his helmet the only thing keeping him from splitting his own skull against the ground. The fall was bone-jarring, making Loki gasp for breath. In the back of his mind, he cursed his weakness. He had always known that he was not built for war, but he foolishly fought anyway, always desperate to prove his worth. _**What good has it done me now, huh?**_ He repostitioned himself just enough to see the battle, to see Thor had rejoined the fight without a second thought or backward glance.

He lifted his head just enough to remove his helmet; it was beginning to hurt his head, and it was hot enough without it. He let his head fell back against the rocks, the rest of his body near numb. _**How did I sink so low? I am a god, far superior to any damned giant.**_ But, if that was the case, why was he laying there, broken and defeated? _**Because I've let myself go soft.**_ He snarled and pushed himself back up to his feet, each movement a struggle. _**And for what? A chance at being loved?**_ Flashes of his family, Thor, Frigga, Odin, Balder, all passed before his eyes, each seeming to mock him. A sneer marred his features and he gripped his spear angrily. _**Never enough...**_

He tried to stand, and found that he could barely move. He searched for the core of his energy, desperate for even a shred of power to help him heal. He came up empty-handed and he was close to just giving in to the darkness that was creeping in around the edges of his vision. But then, he could feel something, dark and familiar bubbling up in his heart, filling his body with power. He let it flow through him, embracing its cold, bracing comfort. An evil grin lit his face as he felt the power reknit his flesh, sealing his wounds and restoring his energy. A chill passed through him as his skin, normally pale, took on a blue hue and his eyes went from green-blue to red in a single blink.

He pulled himself to his feet and began to walk toward Surtur, kicking his helmet aside as he went. As he drew nearer, he began to run, then sprint. At the lip of the volcano, he pushed off in a magic-infused jump that sent him high, but speed, not height was the aim of his intentions. He sailed through the air, spear poised to strike, his target clear: the exposed, unguarded throat of Surtur. He unleashed a flurry of rapid slashes at Surtur's neck, each leaving a gash that was coated with a thick sheet of ice, before being swatted away. He flipped in the air and used the momentum to push back off the ground and fly right back at the demon. He built power into the spear and stabbed it into the shoulder of the Giant, then released the blast into the wound, letting the energy tear its way further into Surtur's body.

A deafening roar ripped out of Surtur's throat as he reached up and grabbed Loki in his hand. He growled a curse in the old tongue and began to squeeze Loki with a flaming fist.

Loki struggled against the grip, before stilling and then using his magic to make a clone appear below him and jump at Surtur's face. Surtur, surprised by the second Loki, loosened his grip and the real Loki was able to escape and start attacking anew.

Thor watched Loki, sensing that something was wrong. Before, Loki had been near exhausted, now, he was attacking with a viciousness that he had not seen since he had tried to take over Earth. When Loki's face was revealed to him, his breath caught. The smile on Loki's face was not the mischievious and joyful one that he had come to expect from his brother since his return, no, this one spoke of malicious intent and twisted glee. Something was definitely wrong.

**XXXX**

Below the battle, Natasha sat with the others, her foot tapping impatiently and her fingers itching to draw her guns again. She hated being forced to sit out a fight, it made her feel useless. She knew that the others were feeling the same way, she could see it in the way they all had frowns on their faces as they watched the battle above them.

She sighed, making the others look at her questioningly. She shook her head at them and they went back to watching.

Tony was only waiting for the core in his suit to recharge, after that, he would rejoin the battle. _**That could take a while yet. They need all the help they can get. If only there were a way to speed up the charging process...**_ An idea sparked in her mind, pun intended. "Stark, remember when Thor struck you with lightning?" She remembered Tony mumbling about it to himself once back at the Tower, and something about an inbuilt...something that would enable him to recharge the suit in an instant.

Tony thought about it for just a split second and nodded. "Yeah."

"If you can get him to do it again, your suit will recharge faster."

He seemed to think about this then smirked. His helmet covered his head again and he flew up the mountain to where the God of Thunder was still going strong. Now that there was someone else to help out, she felt even more useless.

For years, she had been trained so that her body and mind were honed to the peak of human performance, and had used that training for both good and evil. She had lied, killed and stolen, for whoever had the cash to afford her services; she had done terrible things, all in the name of a skillset that was forced upon her from an early age. Why? Because she was good at it. That was the only reason. Not a day went by without her looking back and seeing the monster within her, constantly howling and clawing to be released once more. But, despite all of her training and experience, she was still only human, and, therefore, no match for this supernatural, otherworldly being.

She sat down and leaned against the rocks in frustration; she couldn't really see what was going on above them anyway, it was too dark and the combatants were moving too quickly to keep track of.

Clint sat down beside her, setting his bow next to him on the rocks. He was thinking that he needed to talk to her about the Loki situation, though he was hesitant, given their current situation. Natasha didn't look at him, too lost in her own thoughts to bother. Clint seemed annoyed that he was being ignored, but decided to leave her be, for now; after all, this was no place for a persoanl discussion, and there was always the return trip.

A second later Steve ducked behind his shield and Clint and Natasha threw their arms over their head to protect against a shockwave that had radiated from up above. "What the hell was that?" Natasha yelled, scrambling up next to Steve, her eyes trying to see through the dust that had been kicked up by the wave. The sound of metal colliding with stone reached their ears, though it was faint over the distance.

Surtur rose back up to his full height, Tony circling around behind him, with Hulk flanking him; Thor flew up to join them as well. A moment later, Loki launched himself back into the fray, his movements quick and precise. A near-silent sigh of relief escaped her and she began to settle back down to continue watching, uninvolved, from a distance. A spectator.

"Agent Romanoff."

Natasha's hand went to her ear, where the radio was still in place. "Yes, Director?"

"Stark isn't answering, what's going on over their?" Fury demanded.

"Director Stark is busy fighting right now, sir," Natasha informed him.

"What's the current situation like?" Fury asked.

"We're all still alive, at least, but we're outmatched, sir. Only Thor, Loki, Banner and Stark are able to do any noticable damage." Her voice was a conduit for her own frustration as she involuntarily let it seep through and become pronounced.

Fury sighed. "Well, the reason I've been trying to contact Stark is because Odin has woken up."

"Well, that's good news right?" Natasha felt hope well up inside her; if Odin was awake, then he could come and help them defeat Surtur.

"It would be, if he hadn't disappeared on us."

Natasha felt herself go cold. "What?"

"He's disappeared. He woke up and then left. He just walked out and flew off. We have no idea where he's gone." Natasha could tell that Fury was very unhappy. Whenever things started to get out of control, Fury did his damnedest to get it back _in_ control. He would never let himself get openly angry or upset, but he projected an aura that made the lower-level agents nervous; those that worked in closer proximity to him on a regular basis had learned to not let it bother them.

"What do you want us to do?" Natasha asked, her voice somber.

"Whatever you can to make sure this planet stays safe," Fury told her.

Natasha nodded out of habit. "Yes, sir."

The line went dead and Natasha turned back to the battle, hoping, praying, that they could all get out of this alive.

**XXXX**

Loki snarled in rage as he was, again, thrown back by Surtur. He cursed and jumped back in. He could not think clearly, something was clouding his mind, but he didn't fight it; it felt like there was a second being within him, lending him its strength while taking over his mind.

Loki landed, but did not immediately make his next move. Instead, he flipped his spear and stabbed it into the stone at his feet, the blade easily piercing the hard substance. He then summoned his magic, coiling it into his open hands, and made the Casket of Ancient Winters appear in his grasp. He had hidden the Casket away, where none but himself could find it, in a diminsional rift that he had discovered when he was just learning to travel through the hidden paths of the Universe.

The Casket glowed brightly and his skin began to slowly darken to further take on the blue hue of the Frost Giants. He remembered Odin telling them, when they were younger, that Surtur was vulnerable to extreme cold; a cold only capable of being released by the Ice Giant Ymir, or by the Casket of Ancient Winters, which contained Ymir's power, the Fimbul Winter. While he had used the power of the Casket before, what he had unleashed was only a fragment of its power.

He turned the Casket toward the Giant and used his magic to begin to open the Casket, allowing the power of the Fimbul Winter to spill forth. The beam of ice struck Surtur on his arm with a loud hiss, causing a cloud of steam to surround it. Surtur cried out and turned to Loki, his eyes filled pure hate. He raised his sword to strike Loki down, but was forced to drop it when Loki turned the power of the Casket onto his sword-arm.

Loki continued to unleash the power of the Casket, opening it still further. A cold wind began to whip through his hair and he could see his breath in front of his face.

Thor, seeing what Loki was doing, rushed to him and grabbed his arms. He knew the power the Casket contained as well as his brother did, but he could see the consequences of this action; Loki would cover the entire world in an endless winter, and then it would soon spread throughout the Nine Realms until the Universe was nothing but a frozen wasteland. He understood that Loki was desperate to end this battle, so was he, but this was not the way to do it.

"Stop, brother, you'll destroy us all!" Thor shouted. Loki ignored Thor and continued to release the Fimbul Winter. Thor grabbed Loki's hands and tried to pry them away from the Casket, to little avail; Loki's grip was as solid as the icy stones of Jotunheim. "Loki! You must stop!"

While Loki could hear the words, he could not comprehend their meaning, so lost was he in the feeling of power rushing through him. Nothing mattered, except that power, it was everything that he had ever wanted; to be strong, to be Thor's equal, or, dare he say, superior. With this power, he could escape from beneath the shadow of Asgard and rise as one of the greatest beings in the Nine Realms. With the Casket at his command, and the power flowing through him, he would be unstoppable!

"Loki!" Thor shouted, before being blasted off his feet, along with Loki, as a flash of light exploded before them. The Casket fell from Loki's grasp and closed, the power that had poured forth sealed away once more, before it could do any real damage to the Earth.

Thor looked up, confusion clear on his face. What had just happened? It became evident when the dust settled and the light vanished. Standing on the rim of the volcano was Odin, his golden armor shining brilliantly in the light of Surtur's flame.

"Odin. At last." the Giant rumbled.

Odin did not blink. "Surtur, I cannot allow you to cause any more damage. Return to Muspelheim in peace, or suffer my wrath."

Surtur laughed, a terrible sound like the cracking of the earth. "Your words do not threaten me, Allfather." He picked up his sword to strike Odin, but the blade was caught securely by Gungnir, Odin's faithful spear.

Odin glared. "So be it."

He shoved Surtur's blade aside and leveled his spear, sending a beam of golden light from its tip. Surtur was blasted off his feet, but Odin did not let up. He continued to drive Surtur back against the rim of the volcano, while the Giant struggled to regain his feet and his sword.

His fist finally closed around the hilt of his sword and he swung it viciously at Odin. Gungnir swung up and deflected the blow as Odin leaped in and lunged his spear at Surtur's chest.

Thor was in awe, watching his father clash with Surtur; the sheer power rolling off of them was enough to produce an otherworldly wind that whipped through his hair. After a short but brutal duel, Odin was able to bring Surtur crashing down.

He stood above the Fire Giant, Gungnir pointed downward at his fallen foe. "Surtur, Lord of Muspelheim, I, Odin Allfather, seal your power. May you ever reside, a prisoner, within the molten core of this world." A flash of light blinded Thor, causing him to cover his eyes. He turned back when it had faded, to see no sign of Surtur. The view from Odin's position had been different: the lava from the Earth's core came alive, reaching up and coiling itself around Surtur like some kind of molten snake. Then, after constricting its prey, it began to lower back into the Earth, dragging a helpless Surtur with it. After they were gone, the volcano itself fell silent.

Odin turned to Thor and smiled thinly. Thor stepped up and embraced his father, his fatigue finally beginning to catch up with him. "Father, it is so good to see you awakened."

Odin did not address this, instead he continued to smile at Thor. "My son, words cannot express my pride in you. You and your friends," he looked around at Tony, who was floating above them, and Bruce, who was still in Hulk form, "have stood against one of the mightiest foes in all of the Nine Realms, and now, stand victorious."

Thor shook his head. "No, father. Without your help, we would never have triumphed."

"He was already weakened. I merely dealt the finishing blow." Odin turned to Loki, who was sitting on the ground a short distance away, his head held in his hands. "I am proud, of both of you."

Loki did not meet Odin's eye, he could not. When he had fallen, the power he felt had left him as quickly as it had come, leaving him weakened and feeling sick. He had given in to the temptation that he had succumbed to before, when his envy of Thor had become too much to bear. For a short time, he had felt truly powerful, like he could face anything. _**But at what cost?**_ _**My heart? My soul? Was it worth it?**_ He thought about it all: the way Thor had fought to stop him, the friends he had made while here on Earth, most notably Natasha. The answer was painfully clear. _**No.**_

He felt someone kneel next to him and turned his head. Thor was there, an understanding and brotherly smile upon his face. Loki tried to smile back, but could not will the muscles of his face to assume the proper positions. Thor seemed to accept it anyway and stood, holding his hand out for his brother to take. After a second of hesitation, Loki grasped Thor's hand and allowed him to pull him to his feet.

He swayed weakly once he gained his feet, but was caught and held securely by Thor. Loki faintly noticed that his armor had returned to his normal Asgardian garb, as had Thor's and Odin's; his skin had also returned to its normal, pale hue, presumedly because Odin's power was stronger than the Frost Giant within him. Thor wrapped his arm around Loki's shoulders, offering support which the Trickster gratefully accepted, placing his own arm around Thor's shoulders as well. Odin stood before them and stepped forward, cupping Loki's face in a gentle, fatherly gesture. "I am proud of you, my son." Loki nodded weakly, feeling too weak to argue or feel his resentment toward Odin, and allowed Thor to fly them down to where the others were all waiting. As much as he wanted to believe Odin, he could not allow himself to; how could his father be proud of him, when he himself was not?

Odin walked over to where the Casket lay, all but forgotten. He gazed upon it grimly and let a sigh pass his lips. He bent down and picked it up and stared at it, contemplating. What destruction this artifact could unleash. He could not risk such a thing. The Casket had caused enough damage, to his family, to his son. Best to be rid of it, he thought. With a wave of his hand he opened a small rift in space and time, then cast the Casket into it. Whatever demension it now resided in, it would not harm this one again. He nodded, satisfied, and followed his sons.

Tony had removed his helmet and was smirking at them. "Well, looks like your plan worked after all, Thunder-boy."

Thor grinned back at him, a chuckle escaping him. Clint nodded to them, grudgingly in Loki's case, and turned to start back to where their quinjet was waiting for them. Bruce had already returned to the jet he came in so as to have a change of clothes for when he changed back. Steve patted them on the back and then followed Clint.

For her part, Natasha rushed over and took Loki's free arm, offering what support she could to help keep him standing. Loki gave her a small smile of thanks, but did not hold her gaze, looking instead at his feet. He knew that he should not beat himself up over his slip-up, but he couldn't help but feel like he had just returned to square one.

Natasha wasn't sure what had occured up there, but the way Loki was acting was starting to worry her. He seemed guilty about something. She wanted to ask him about it, but decided to wait until they were alone, feeling that he would not want the others to see him as she had.

When they reached the quinjet, they were met by a smiling Bruce Banner. He stepped to Loki. "I wasn't expeting to see you here," he said by way of greeting. "Fury told me the Earth was in danger, but didn't go into detail. When I got here, I almost went after you."

Loki grimaced, remembering what the Hulk had done with only one attack. "Thank you for sparing me," he said, his voice soft.

Bruce nodded. "Well, the the big guy with the sword seemed like the bigger threat." He chuckled.

"Well, it seems that the Hulk still doesn't think very highly of me." Every word Loki uttered sent pain arching through him, causing the words to come out in pained gasps.

"Can you blame him?" Bruce asked, forcing Loki to concede the point. "Well, I should get going." He nodded to Thor and Natasha, then turned to leave.

Thor called out after him "Where are you off to now?"

Bruce turned back to face them. "Well, Fury wants me to come to New York with you guys, I'm thinking about it. Might be nice to see the city while it isn't under attack." He had a smile on his face as he took a small verbal jab at Loki. The Lord of Lies nearly managed a smile of his own at this.

Natasha adjusted her grip on Loki, so as to keep him upright when he swayed a bit. "Well then, I suppose we should get going then, shouldn't we?"

**XXXX**

Earth was within sight, and growing closer with every minute. They had only just entered the space around Titan, and were making good time, far better than predicted. The distance that should have taken a few weeks, had been covered in a little over a week, thanks to the urging of the Other to never let up on the throttle and keep the engines running at full capacity.

They would stop for a few hours on Titan to re-fuel, then they would depart and their second invasion of Earth would begin. Lord Thanos would be pleased.

The Other was looking at a holographic rendering of the previous battle, hoping to see where they had gone wrong. He did not rely on this though, since he had no way to determine what had actually happened. If anything, their army was more than three-times the size of the one that Loki had led.

Loki had been given the _Sanctuary_ and her crew, as well as a few Leviathans. Now, they had the _Space Throne_, the _Dreadnaught-666_ and the _Demeter_, and dozens of Leviathans.

This time, their entry would not be a portal, no, they would take their ships to the very planet and disable their use of the weapon that had destroyed the _Sanctuary_. They would not dare to detonate such a weapon so close to their own world, lest they harm themselves. This, would be their downfall.

The ships began the docking process on Titan. It would not be long now.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know. Review, not flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	15. Monster

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, or any other entity from the Marvel Universe.**

**A/N: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I succumbed to a massive case of Writer's Block, so, again, sorry. Thank you for the reviews, my friends. This chapter is a bit of a turning point, I hope it goes over well. Read. Review. Enjoy!**

**To get the proper effect for the section marked with a '*' listen to the song 'Saints From the Streets' by Jeff Danna, from the Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day soundtrack. It's what I listened to while writting this chapter. That song coupled with the visual in my head had a powerful feeling to me.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XV: Monster**

**'I'm sorry about the ways, but I can't take away my past. But you love me anyway. And now I wanna do everything for you that I can, even though it won't erase the foolish things that I've done, things that blinded me. But now I see. It was you that showed me who I am, and taught me how to stand for what I know is real.'**

**-It Was You by 12 Stones.**

Loki leaned heavily against his seat in the quinjet as they prepared for take-off. He strapped himself in and laid his head back, letting his eyes slip closed almost immediately,; the dim lights in the interior where just enough to make his head pulse with dull pain. He was exhausted, and felt like he could sleep for a week. He knew he probably wouldn't, maybe half a day once his accelerated healing kicked in, but the idea didn't seem so bad at the moment.

He felt Natasha take the seat next to his and strap herself in as well. He opened one eye and looked at her. She had copied him and now seemed to have already drifted off to sleep. He felt a small smile touch his lips as he closed his eye again.

They were all tired, he knew, but even so, some of the others were still up and conversing. Tony was using a secured phone to talk to Fury while Odin and Thor were speaking in hushed tones, Thor looking worried. Every once in a while they would shoot a quick glance at Loki. Loki could sense their eyes on him, but could not bring himself to care at the moment.

Steve was sitting near the pilots, looking bored as he took to cleaning and polishing his Shield. Bruce, who had decided to join them on their jet, was reading something in a notebook, glasses on and a pen dangling from his fingers. Every few minutes he would write something.

Clint had taken the seat across from Loki and was servicing his bow, replacing the string and cleaning it. He too would look at Loki with distrust and barely contained hate every few minutes. Loki let none of it bother him and soon drifted into a light sleep.

He awoke again when the plane touched down in New York the next morning, not feeling all that rested. His healing had yet to kick in, but he at least had a shred of energy. He wanted to get to Stark Tower as quickly as possible and go to his bed. The sooner he got some proper rest, the better off he'd be.

They recieved a hero's welcome when they entered S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters; even NIck Fury managed a ghost of a smile on their behalf. Tony basked in the attention, as he usually did, though he was a bit more restrained this time, willing to admit that he had merely been assistance to the gods in this battle. Bruce simply smiled in an unsure manner, not used to being praised for the Hulk's actions; it used to be that he would look back and see destruction, this time, he was a hero, just as he was during the Battle of New York. Steve's reaction was much the same, though his smile was more shy than anything. Clint just nodded to those that said anything to him, he wasn't a very open person, or so Loki thought, and, therefore, did not show much outward reception of the praise. Thor accepted the praise with a warrior's pride, but he was not as boastful as he would have been before being exiled on Earth. Ever since his return from Earth, Loki had noticed a new humility to Thor, as well as a brighter, more confident inner strength that Loki couldn't help but envy. Odin was the image of kingly grace, taking in evering thing with a reservation and calm that only came with a rule as long and renowned at his was.

Natasha acted much like Clint, except that she managed some smiles and even a few handshakes; she looked ready to drop, but held her head high and walked with as much of her usual grace as she could manage in her current state, which was saying something, considering that she had been in the fray the longest, next only to Loki himself.

Loki felt almost nothing, he was emotionally numb. He recieved no praise, no congratulations, no pats on the back; he was nobody's hero. He suspected that they all still saw him as the villain that had tried to kill or enslave them. He did recieve a nod from Fury, but he hardly counted that as praise, merely a gesture to acknowledge him; it was more than he expected and he returned the gesture with a small smirk.

Frigga, who was waiting in the control room for them, was at Odin's side in an instant, embracing him like the hero returning from war, which, in a way, he was. Sif and the Warriors Three gathered around Thor, waiting to hear his embelished tale of victory; somehow Jane managed to slip between them and congratulate him in her own way; Loki was able to chuckle as he heard a few whistles at that.

Finally, things started to settle back to normal. Tony and Fury were going over the video taken by a camera in his helmet. Fury seemed surprised by the sheer size of Surtur, now understanding why the fight had taken so long and was so hard on those involved.

Loki slipped away and into the garage, finding one of the drivers and telling him to take him to Stark Tower. His body ached, his head pounded, and his eyes were growing heavy. He wanted to sleep, immediately.

When he arrived, he went straight to his room and crawled into his bed. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**XXXX**

Natasha stood outside the main group, leaning against the wall, waiting for Fury to dismiss her so she could get some sleep. It didn't seem like she would be getting out there any time soon though, Fury was preoccupied with Stark, going over what had happened during the battle.

Clint came over to stand next to her. "How are you holding up?" he asked, leaning next to her. He was tired as well, but nowhere near as much as Natasha was. She looked like she'd been through hell and back, not that he doubted that one bit.

She rubbed her eyes. "I'll live," she murmured, too tired to remember that she was still upset with him for the way he treated Loki. "I need a shower and long nap though."

Clint smirked. "Yeah, you look like hell."

She frowned. "Thanks."

Clint shook his head in amusement. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad we all made it out in one piece."

Natasha nodded tiredly. She was about to walk over to Fury and ask if she could leave, when the man himself leaned in closer to the screen he was looking at, muttering "What the hell?"

Curious, she walked over, Clint not far behind. When she reached the two Directors, she trained her eyes on the screen. Apparantly they had done a quick run through of the battle and were now near the end. When she realized what she was seeing, her mouth fell open in confused wonder.

The image on the screen was of Loki, his skin a deep blue color and his eyes blazing red. In his hands he held a box of some sort, from which a beam of ice was being released. She watched Thor run to him and try to make him let go of the box, but to no avail. Finally came the moment when Odin arrived and the screen was momentarily filled with light. When it cleared, Odin was there and faceing Surtur, while Loki was laying on the ground, his skin back to normal and the box out of his reach.

Fury rewound the recording and watched again. Tony called Thor over. "What can I do for you, my friends?" the Prince of Asgard asked, a smile on his face.

Fury pointed to the screen. "You can explain this to us."

Thor saw what he was pointing at and the smile disappeared. "I'm not sure that I'm the best one to speak of this." He turned to where Odin was and called him over. Thor then whispered something in his ear and Odin's eyes took on a sad glint.

Odin sighed. "It seems that you've stumbled upon one of my family's darkest secrets." He looked at the screen, which was paused on an image of Loki holding the glowing blue box. "How much do you know about my son?"

Fury shook his head. "Not much."

"He's adopted," Natasha said, remembering that Thor had said so when they were on the Helicarrier.

Odin turned to her and she suddenly felt like a deer in the headlights, at least until he nodded to her. It was just an effect he had on people. "This is true. Loki is not my son by birth." He sighed again. He looked at everyone gathered around. Sif and the Warriors Three were listening closely; they knew nothing of this, Thor had never opted to tell them, it was not the business of those that were not his family, but now the secret was out and would not be ignored. "His father was Laufey, King of the Frost Giants. After a long war to protect the Earth from the Frost Giants, we were able to push them back, to the heart of their own world, Jotunheim. In the end, I defeated Laufey and, on my orders, the Casket of Ancient Winters, the source of their power, was taken to Asgard. After the battle, I entered the temple of Laufey's fortress, and I found a baby. Small for a Giant's offspring. Abandoned, and left to die alone. I took him home and presented him to my wife and my people as Thor's new brother, Loki, Prince of Asgard. My own power suppressed the Jotun blood in him, giving him an Asgardian appearance, so none questioned his origins."

Tony tapped the image. "So, I'm guessing that this is the Casket. Kinda small if you ask me."

Odin nodded. "It is. It had disappeared from Asgard's treasure room. We had no clue as to its whereabouts, until last night.

"Where is it now?" Fury asked.

"Gone," Odin answered.

"Where?"

Odin cocked his head, as if he were asking why he needed to explain his actions, he was a king after all. But, he remembered that here, on Earth, Fury was one of the few who's sole purpose was to protect and defend this realm at all costs. "Where no one will use it again."

Fury sighed. "I guess that's settled then."

Clint was looking at the picture, a frown on his face. "If this thing was able to damage Surtur, as we just saw on the video, why did you try to take it away from him?" he asked Thor.

"The Casket is dangerous, the power held within it could send the Nine Realms into an Ice Age, killing countless innocents." Thor flexed his hand before clenching it into a fist. "Loki has used it before, to lock the Bifrost and nearly destroy Jotunheim. I did not want him to make that mistake again. If the Fimbul Winter were released, not even the Frost Giants would survive."

Clint nodded seriously, as though something had been confirmed in his mind. "So, he _is_ a monster." The words were quiet, but still heard by every one of them.

Thor's face grew angry and grabbed Clint by the front of his uniform. "No, he is not. He is my brother, a Prince of Asgard. And if I ever hear you speak ill of my brother again, I will scatter your ashes all across the Nine Realms!" As if to emphasize his words, a roll of thunder sounded overhead. Natasha glared at Clint, not happy that he was still acting like a child over the entire matter. It was ridiculous that he could not seem to get over his resentment of Loki and see that he was not the same man, or god, that he had used to be. It was pathetic.

Clint noticed her glare, which only fueled his own anger. He didn't understand how Natasha could side with Loki over him, her oldest friend. They had been close for years, ever since he had spared her and brought her to S.H.I.E.L.D. as an ally instead of an enemy. He also had a soft spot for her, what others would have called a crush, but he hid that well, not letting it interfere with the way he did his job. Now, this demigod, that had tried to kill them all, comes along and suddenly he's playing second fiddle. If he was honest, this was more the cause of his resentment of Loki rather than the mind control. He had come to terms with that long ago, not that he had forgiven. He wasn't going to let Loki just take his place in Natasha's life without a fight, but he didn't seem to be making any headway on that front, if anything, he was taking steps backward, not forward.

Steve stepped forward and forced some space between Thor and Clint. "Alright, come on guys, we're all on the same team here. Remember?"

Bruce stepped forward, placing his glasses on his face and leaning in to take a better look at the screen. He gave a 'what do you know?' grunt and stood back to full height, removing his glasses. "I'd say he's about as much a monster as I am." Tony nodded in agreement with Banner's statement, knowing what he meant. Bruce was no monster, merely a victim of circumstance, as was the Hulk.

Thor and Clint continued to stare each other down, but Tony looked around and immediately noticed something was out of place. "Where _is_ Loki?"

Natasha's eyes swept the room, looking for the now-familiar figure. He was no where to be found. She went over to the workstation that monitored the security cameras all over the base. "Has Loki been seen on any of these since we got back?"

The man working there nodded and tapped the screen for the parking garage. "He had one of the drivers take him somewhere almost immediately after your return."

She nodded turned to Fury and Stark. "He left right after we got here," she informed them. "He had one of the drivers take him somewhere. My guess would be Stark Tower."

Fury nodded. "Agent Romanoff, get over to the Tower and find out if he's there. Radio back if he is."

Natasha nodded and headed out of the room. She heard the door open again behind her and looked over her shoulder. Tony and Bruce were walking behind her. "We're heading back as well, wanna ride with?" Tony offered, twirling his keys around a finger.

Natasha nodded gratefully, not looking forward to finding a driver to take her. They all climbed into Tony's car, Tony and Bruce up front with Natasha taking the back seat for herself. As Tony started to drive, he glanced at Natasha in the mirror, taking in how tired she was. "Agent Romanoff, after you find out if Loki is in the Tower, get some rest. That's an order."

Natasha nodded, liking the sound of that. "Yes, sir."

Upon arriving at Stark Tower, Natasha went straight to Loki's room. When she came to his door, it was wide open with the light from the hallway spilling into the dark interior. She peered inside and sighed, mostly in relief. Loki was laid across his bed, still fully-clothed and dirty, fast asleep.

Looking at him, she didn't see a monster, despite what Clint thought. Just because he was born to non-human, or non-Asgardian, parents didn't mean that he was any different than they were; it was just as sensless as hating someone for the color of their skin or their place of origin. Instead, she saw a man who, while not born of their planet, was more human than he realized. She just wished that he could see what she saw and realize that he was not the monster that Clint, and some others, thought he was. She wished that he could see how good a person he really was.

Natasha took a breath and closed the door, then walked down the hall to her own room. She did not go straight to her bed, instead she went into her bathroom and stripped herself down to nothing before turning on the shower and stepping into the warm spray. As tired as she was, she did not want to sleep before cleaning, knowing that she would regret it in the morning if she did. Plus, the heat of the water did wonders for her aching muscles.

About twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, leaving her hair wet and dripping. After dressing in some light sleeping attire, she used the towel to absorb some of the moisture from her hair.

She made sure to lock her door before settling between the sheets and closing her eyes, letting her mind and body finally sink into the rest that it so craved.

**XXXX ***

As he had predicted, Loki awoke a little over twelve hours later, his body healed and his magic replentished. He lifted his head from the pillow and pushed himself into a sitting position. A glance at the clock told him that it was now in the middle of the afternoon.

He looked down at himself and frowned in disgust at his own state of disarray. His clothing was coated in dirt and torn in places, his hair was tangled and matted. Needless to say, he was in need of a thorough cleansing.

He sighed and stood from his bed and made his way into the bathroom connected to his room. He could have just used his magic, which he would do to clean his clothes, but he wanted the extra time to himself, to think.

He stood in the shower, letting the warm water wash away the dirt and grim that had accumulated on his body. As he stood there beneath the spray, he held a hand in front of his face, studying it. An image of the same hand, covered in blue flesh instead of pale white, flashed before his eyes. A shiver ran down his spine and then through the rest of his body despite the warm temperature of the water cascading down his slender but toned body.

He did not like to acknowledge the Jotun in him, refused to see himself as kin to that race of brutush, primitive monsters. But, now, after letting himself succumb to the power that came with it, he could no longer deny that that was what he was. He was a monster, in more eyes than his own. _**I suppose Barton was right.**_

Now that he was healed, all of the guilt that he had been unable to feel in his drained state came rushing out in a relentless onslaught that nearly brought him to his knees. He clenched his eyes shut and grit his teeth, refusing to let himself cry, he was not weak, but looking back on all of the wrongs he had committed, it was hard not to.

_'The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart!'_

_'You cannot kill an entire race!'_

_ 'Why not?'_

So blinded by pain and ambition was he that he had not even seen the severety of his actions. He had used a device, meant to transport the Asgardians from Asgard to anywhere in the Universe, as a weapon of mass destruction and nearly claimed the lives of millions. Were those the actions of a normal man? _**No.**_

_'Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? ...You were made to be ruled.'_

Did normal men attempt to conquer? To subjegate? Did a normal man demand that an entire race bow at their feet, and look upon him as their king? _**No.**_

_'I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you, slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work. And when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!'_

_ 'You're a monster.'_

This finally brought him crashing down, his bare knees colliding harshly with the floor of the shower as his salty tears mixed with the water still pouring down on him. His entire being shook with the force of the sobs that wracked his body. Did a monster deserve the kindness and affection that he had been shown by the Black Widow, even after having spoken to her in such an abhorrent manner? Did _he _deserve it? Again, the answer was so painfully clear to him. _**No.**_

__It took a few long minutes for his sobs to subside. When they did, he pulled himself to his feet and turned his face up toward the water rushing down on him. Strangely, having let himself break down, he felt...lighter, somehow; not to say he didn't still feel the heart-wrenching guilt, because he did, it was just less pronouced now.

After thoroughly washing his hair and body, he turned off the shower and exited from it. He magically dried himself and then cleaned his clothes before dressing.

He took a glance at himself in the mirror, noting the less than jovial expression that he wore. He forced his facial muscles into a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. he shrugged and walked out of his room.

**XXXX**

He passed many Asgardians on his way to the lounge room, all seemed in higher spirits now that news of Odin's awakening and victory over Surtur had spread. They all ignored him, not that he minded; he would rather not have to deal with them and their judgemental glares and remarks.

The lounge was near empty when he entered; the only other occupant was a disgruntled-looking Hawkeye. Loki met the archer's glare as he made his way behind the bar and poured himself a large glass of whatever he came across first; he was happy to find that it was the same liquor that he had drank upon first returning there.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Barton broke it. "What kind of game are you playing?"

Loki turned his head to face the archer. "Pardon?"

Clint stood from the chair he had been sitting in. "You may have everyone else fooled, but I know you're up to something. We all know what you are, Frost Giant. You can't hide it anymore. So, what is it?"

Loki frowned at the glass in his hand and then set it down. So, he knew of Loki's true origins? Loki didn't bother to ask how he knew, that was redundant at this point. _**But, does he mean that **_**everyone**_** knows? Even...**_ He sighed before looking back at Barton. "Would you believe me if I told you that I only want to make amends for all the wrong I have done?"

Clint's eyes narrowed. "No."

Loki sighed in false sadness, which wasn't hard to fake at the moment, for him, as he lifted the glass back to his lips and took a swig. "Then I suppose I will have to lie to appease you. I am skillfully worming my way into your little group so that once I have gained all of your trust, I can turn on you and kill you all ina single, fell swoop. That way you won't be there to stand in my way when I stage another hostile takeover of Earth, and I will have had my revenge. There. Is that want you wanted to hear?"

Clint smirked. "Certainly seems more your style than this 'hero turn' bullshit."

Loki smirked. "It's so refreshing to see that your starting to warm up to me." The sarcasm was thick in his voice. "Listen, if you are so certain that I'm the villain here, why not just kill me now and be done with it?"

"I like the sound of that. Maybe if I kill you, whatever spell you have over Natasha will finally break." Clint said, his hand coming to rest on the handle of his pistol.

Loki scoffed. "A spell is it? And what would make you think I have done anything of the sort to her?"

Clint glared and all but growled, "Because I know Natasha, and there is no way she would ever love a monster like you."

Something inside Loki snapped and the glass in his hand shattered with the sudden tightening of his grip. Clint's words struck a deep-rooted fear within him, and he felt rage spread through him. "Then just kill me and be done with it."

Clint pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at Loki's head. "That's sounds like a good idea."

At this moment, Tony, Bruce, Thor, Jane, Steve and Natasha all entered the room in the midst of friendly conversation. This conversation came to a halt when the atmosphere of the room became apparant to them.

Loki's smirk turned into a serious, predatory glare. "You really want to take that road? Go on then. Take your shot." At this point, he was beyond caring. Clint wanted hostile, he would give him malice beyond reckoning.

"Clint, put the gun down!" Natasha shouted, trying to step between them. She was held back by Steve, who stepped forward instead.

"Barton! Loki! Stand down!" Neither listened.

"Take your shot, Barton. But I guarrantee you, you will only get one. After that I will tear you apart." Loki said this with complete calm and intent.

Clint cocked his gun as Loki stepped around the bar and walked toward him. Tony took his try at calming them. "Guys, come on! Think about this. This won't solve anything. Let put the gun away, order a pizza, have a few drinks and just forget this ever happened. What do you say?" He too was ignored, by Loki.

"You really want to stop me, Tony?" Clint demanded, never taking his eyes off of Loki. "You want him dead just as much as I do. He tried to kill you, tried to kill all of us. He _killed_ Coulson. Don't stand there and pretend that you don't hate him too."

Tony looked as if he wanted to say something, but caught himself. A strange guilt shone in his eyes, but those who noticed this did not think much of it, given the current situation.

"Take your shot."

"Loki, this is madness. Stop!" Thor said, trying to get through to his brother. Jane's eyes were darting between Clint and Loki with growing trepidation. She had a fear that she was about to see someone die right in front of her, and that was not something she ever wanted to experience again, not after seeing the Destroyer lay Thor low with but a swing of its arm; only this time, she didn't think that there would be a happy ending.

Barton's finger was on the trigger, barely squeezing. Loki stepped closer to him, silently daring him.

"Clint, drop the gun!" Natasha cried again, trying to rush forward again, only to be held back once more. If Steve stopped her one more time, she was going to kick him so hard that his skinny ass from the forties was going to be feeling it.

"Stand down, Barton!" Steve said, using his most authoritive voice.

Barton was unfazed. "I don't take orders from you," he said, not taking his eyes off the approaching Trickster.

Steve stepped forward to stand between them as Loki came within a few feet of Clint. "Dammit! Stop this now!" Loki forcefully shoved Steve out of the way, amidst a hail of shouts from those present. Steve was flung back into the wall, where he left a large crack from the force that he hit it. Natasha was silently happy that someone else had done what she had just wanted to do.

"Take your shot, Barton." Loki dared as he stepped up so that the barrel of the gun was pressed against his forehead, the outer edges of his eyes were taking on a red tint. "Take your shot."

"Clint! Drop the gun! Please!"

"Are you out of your minds?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Last chance! Take your shot!"

Clint's hand began to shake as his finger pressed against the trigger harder.

"Stand down, Barton!"

"Loki, stop this madness!"

"Take it!"

"Clint! Stop!"

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone jumped, not expecting Bruce to raise his voice like that; but it was hearing a bit of the Hulk in it that really got through to them.

Clint dropped his gun, letting it fall to the floor with a clatter, he stumbled backwards until he fell into the chair that he had previously vacated, his eyes wide.

Loki seemed to be almost in shock at what had just occured. The hint of red in his vision receded and his eyes took on a horrified glint.

Bruce stepped up so that he was between the two. "This has gone on long enough. I may not have been here for very long, but this is ridiculous! Is this how a team is supposed to interact? I don't know what grudge you two hold against each other, but killing each other over it isn't going to fix anything. You two need to grow up and start getting along, otherwise, this entire team is going to fall apart. Now, settle this peacefully or I'll let the Other Guy sort you both out, his way." With that he turned and left the room, not glancing back at them as he went.

Loki sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He already knew better than to go against the wishes of the Hulk, so the choice was a simple one for him. He nodded to himself and looked up at Clint, who was staring right back at him. Loki took a step forward and Clint stood from his chair. Hesitantly, Loki held out his hand.

Clint frowned at it, then shot a glance to where Bruce had exited. After another second of hesitation, he grasped Loki's hand. he met the Trickster's eyes. "I'll back off, but I still don't trust you. You had better believe I'll be watching you."

Loki smirked, though it held no amusement. "I would expect no less."

Clint let go of Loki's hand and made to leave. Before he went, he picked up his gun off the floor and disengaged the hammer, then returned it to its holster. He traded looks with the others before departing.

Tony gave a sigh of relief and left as well, following Banner back to the lab where they had been working, making a note to have someone fix the wall later.

Thor lead Jane from the room; giving Loki a sharp look that said that they would talk later. Steve left as well, not seeing any reason for him to stick around now that the action had died down.

Soon, it was only Loki and Natasha left in the room. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent shook her head and crossed her arms. "Care to explain what that was all about?" she asked.

Loki shrugged, not wanting to dredge up what Clint had said. "Just an overdue confrontation. Nothing really." He hoped that she would just take that answer, even though he knew she wouldn't.

"Nothing? _Nothing_? I don't call you two trying to kill each other 'nothing'." A bit of her earlier fear and worry slipped into her voice, which Loki picked up on. In his current state of mind, and given what Clint had said before, he read it wrong.

"Oh, I see. Worried about your precious Clint? Afraid that he'll be killed by the big bad Frost Giant? Is that it?" he demanded. "Afraid that the _monster_ is going to lose control and start killing again?"

Natasha glared at him, her lip trembling slighty. "You know that's not it at all."

Loki looked at her and frowned. "Really? Then what is it?" His voice softened, but didn't lose its bitterness. "Did you worry for me?" His tone said that he doubted this.

Natasha bit her lip to stop it from quivering. "I was worried for both of you. Clint is my oldest friend. And you..." She trailed off, unsure and afraid of how to continue.

Loki cocked his head, his eyes taking on a curious, and somewhat hopeful, glint. "What?" he propted. She shook her head, not daring to meet his eyes, lest they betray her. When she didn't continue, Loki stepped forward. "Say it." He gently used his hand to turn her to face him, but she closed her eyes. It stung. _**Will she not even look at me, now? Can she not stand the sight of me?**_ The thought that she may see him as a monster now that she had seen what secret ran through his veins hurt him. During his time on Earth, he had come to enjoy her companionship, valued it, treasured it even. He did not want to lose that. "Say it."

The insecurity and fear in his voice made her open her eyes. He was gazing at her in a mix of longing and trepidation. "I-...I don't know...how to explain."

Loki nodded, seeming to feel that something had been confirmed by her words. He stepped back and then made to walk past her and out the door. "Let me know when you figure it out," he said before closing the door behind him, leaving Natasha feeling like she had missed something, something very important.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down! Let me know what you think. Review, but do not flame.**

**Til neste gang vi møtes.**

**-Atrocity.**


	16. Deceptions Unveiled

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, or anything else that belongs to Marvel.

A/N: SORRY THIS TOOK SO DAMNED LONG! Thank you for your reviews, they were quite rejuvinating to my imagination. A bit of a small twist in this chapter, just something to help Loki on his quest to relieve the inner-turmoil he feels. Also, the times in this chapter are displayed in both standard and military format, in case anyone was confused. Read. REVIEW. Enjoy!

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XVI: Deceptions Unveiled**

**'It's in this wake that I find myself losing the will to resume this Hell. When every breath is a dying wish, it's harder to follow the point of this. This broken place that I call my home has deepened the sorrow that I have sown. And I can't erase what is in my heart. I want it to finish before it starts. My own solution, insufficient again. No false illusion, this devouring threat. I will break the vessel, giving air to its red, and open my fate to the darkened sky.'**

**-Fading Away by Demon Hunter.**

Atop Stark Tower, two demigods, Asgardian Princes, stood, one looking out over the city that lay sprawled out before them in all of its urban, decadent glory, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the cityscape, while the other was gazing at the first with an air of frustation and worry.

Loki was all but ignoring his brother's presence, his attention turned inward rather than to the world around him. His mind and heart were a battleground, with two halves of the same being waging a war for the man that they were a whole of; a war that could make or break him, and decide his fate. He needed a reason to continue on the path that he had chosen, to fight on the side of those that sought to destroy the wicked and defend the innocent. Taking a glance back at the man he called his brother, he knew that he would not find that reason here.

His mind conjured the image of a young woman with red hair more vibrant than any flame that burned in the Nine Realms and beyond. _**Natasha...**_No, he would not find it there, no matter how much he wished it so, no matter how much he long to take her in his arms and never let go. He cast those thoughts back to the dark recesses of his mind, where they could not torture him. What use was there in longing for someone that would never love you, that thought you a monster? He sighed.

"Listen to me, brother. This childish self-pity has gone on long enough. For days now, all you have done is wander about, ignoring everyone. Now, I know that you and Clint have some bad blood between you, but this negativity has to stop!"

Loki scowled at Thor, not wanting to admit that he was right, partially. _**Dear, naive, Thor, you have once again missed the true depth of things. This has near nothing to do with our resident archer, and more to do with a certain beauty that said archer and I both hold dear to our hearts.**_ He bit his tongue until he tasted blood, willing the sting to clear his head of such thoughts once more.

Thor had been trying to get his brother alone to speak to him and try to hammer some sense into him, but had been unsuccessful until this moment. After several failed attempts, the Thunder God had finally managed to corner his wayward brother in the hallway outside of his bedroom, but Loki had teleported himself out of there. Thor had continued the search, and had eventually ended up here.

Loki was in no mood to endure chastisement fom anyone, let alone his dutiful brother. "Go away, Thor. I'm in no mood to deal with you," he said, hoping his brother would take the hint. He didn't.

"I think not, Loki." Thor stepped closer so that they were now within arm's reach of each other. "You've been avoiding everyone, and it is starting to cause worry. Mother and Father fear you will become embittered, as you were before. And S.H.I.E.L.D. has started to feel on edge as well."

Loki snorted. "They think I will fall prey to the darkness and become a monster? More so than I already am, at least."

Thor shook his head. "You know that's not true. Some of them are worried _for_ you."

"Really?" Loki asked contemptiously. "Like whom?"

"Like me, like our Mother and our Father!" _**Your Father.**_ "Tony, even Banner has started to become anxious! And Natasha, most of all, has not been herself lately either."

Loki snarled quietly to himself. In his mind, she had all but rejected him in that room, and the hurt that he felt still pulsed dully through his being. Hearing that something was wrong with her made him feel a longing that he had no desire to put a name to, or so he told himself. He felt the pull to go to her and set things right between them, but his wounded pride would not allow it, refusing to be set aside and forgotten.

He took a sideways glance at Thor and used his magic to teleport himself away before the Thunder God could speak further.

**XXXX 12:34 A.M. / 0034**

Later, when night had fallen, Loki stood in front of the full-length mirror on the door of the bathroom, dressed only in his black sleeping pants. Slowly, he let his normal, pale skin be replaced by the dark blue of the Frost Giants, and his blue-green eyes were taken over by a blood red.

He studied himself, noting the faint black designs that he could only guess were some sort of Jotun tribal markings, criss-crossing all over his body. He knew that all Jotuns had them, though knew not what meaning they may hold. He frowned at the monstrous image that stared back at him and copied his every move. If he was honest, the being in the mirror frightened him, made him nervous. He wondered if that was how the others felt when they saw him that way.

With a sigh, he released the Jotun magic in him and let the Asgardian return to the forefront, causing his skin and eyes to return to their regular hue. He longed for the power he had felt when the Jotun blood had taken over, but, deep down, he still couldn't accept that part of himself.

He shook his head and went to his bed, closing his eyes and letting himself fall into a troubled sleep.

**XXXX**

_ The jagged landscape of Titan surrounded him, great cliffs and sharp rocks giving off an air of menace and fear. He did not know why he was here now, he had not so much as seen this place since his last meeting with the Other._

_ A rustle of movement behind him clued him in to the fact that he wasn't alone. He turned and smirked sardonically. __**Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear.**__ He walked over to where the Other stood, grinning maliciously._

_ "Earth!" The Other spat, beginning to circle him. "Did you really think that you could hide there? I told you before: there is no world, no barren moon, no crevice, where we cannot find you."_

_ He continued to smirk. "I remember. But, who said I was hiding?"_

_ The Other barked a laugh. "The stench of fear is all over you. You reek of it."_

_ He chuckled and shook his head. "You are mistaken. But, I can't help but wonder: why am I here?"_

_ The Other bared his teeth in a sneering smile. "You were warned of the consequences of failure. You escaped us on Asgard, but you cannot run forever. Sooner or later, we will catch you, and you will suffer our wrath."_

_ He rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I assume there is a point to this?"_

_ The Other seemed to be angered by his lack of reaction to what was being said. "Soon, Earth will fall, and the Tesseract will be ours. Resistance will be futile. I come with an offer."_

_ He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Speak."_

_ The Other smiled again. "You came to us before, seeking the means to conquer, to rule. This goal can still be achieved. Bring us the Tesseract, take up arms alongside us, and Earth, and Asgard, will be yours. Lord Thanos is generous, and rewards those who are loyal to him."_

_ He smirked, rolling the idea around in his head. It seemed like a smart choice, turn his back on the human race, and once again lead an army to take up the mantle of ruler. But, that did not sit well with him this time, did not suit him in the slightest. "You will fail, just as I did."_

_ The Other did not seem bothered by these words. "We shall see."_

_ He turned to face the alien being. "You will. You lack conviction." He stepped closer. "And I swear to you, if you come to Earth, I shall take pleasure in killing you myself."_

_ The Other growled. "You are but words. Your ambition is still little, and your power a mere spark next to the inferno that shall be unleashed upon the Humans' world. Stand against us, and you will meet the same end."_

_ His eyes hardened and his lips formed a thin line. "So be it."_

_ The Other approached, circling behind him. "You have chosen death." Pain spiked through his being as the Other struck out at him, casting him out of the vision and back to his own mind._

**XXXX 4:53 A.M. / 0453**

Loki snapped upright in his bed, gasping for breath. His body was coating in a sheen of cold sweat. The sheets on his bed were a tangled mess at his feet and his hair was plastered to his forehead.

He put his head in his hands, his fingers lightly rubbing his temples, trying to clear the lingering pain behind his eyes. He opened his eyes again and noticed a soft blue glow illuminated the room. His search for the source led his eyes to land on the crystaline orb imbedded in his scepter. It was slowly dimming back to its default state, leaving him, once more, in darkness.

He grasped at the retreating memory of the dream, or vision, trying to retain it so as to sort through it. As sleep cleared from his head, lifting the groggy fog that came with it, he came to the simple realization of what had just occurred.

He looked back to the scepter and let a out a deep breath. So, somehow the magic of the scepter had cast his consciousness beyond the reaches of Midgard and out to the jagged wastes of Titan, as he had before, to communicate with the Other. It seemed that the Other had called him there. _**So, he is coming to Earth...**_

He stood and made his way into his bathroom, flicking the light switch to the 'on' position as he went. He turned on the cold water and splashed a large handfull of it on his face.

He lifted his head and looked into the eyes of his reflection in the mirror that hung over the sink. The visage that stared back at him was pale and gaunt, yet still strong and vital.

He sighed again and summoned his Asgardian clothes. He needed to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters and inform them of the impending Chitauri invasion. He was not looking forward to the trip; he had not set foot in that building since the return from Norway.

It had been three days since his confrontation with Barton; three long days of strained silence and skillful avoiding of any room where either Hawkeye or the Black Widow were present. If he was to be completely honest with himself, those three days were the longest and loneliest he had ever had in as long as he could remember. He silently scolded himself for having become...attached to someone else's company.

A small release of magic and he teleported himself from Stark Tower, across the city, to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York Headquarters. He reappeared in the control room, finding it near empty. Only Nick Fury himself stood in the room, his back to the Trickster, looking at something on one of the screens at his workstation.

Loki stepped up next to him and looked at the screen. An image of a middle-aged man with short brown hair was on the screen along with some type of report. The man was familiar, but it took a moment for Loki to place where he knew him from. Then realization struck him like one of Thor's lightning bolts. _**I killed him.**_

"I will never be forgiven for his death." Fury turned to the Trickster, only slightly surprised by his sudden appearance. Loki met his eye, awaiting agreement to his statement. "Will I?"

Fury sighed and lowered the report, but the image and a file remained open. "I'm assuming that you're referring to your most recent encounter with Agent Barton?" If Loki was surprised that Fury knew about what had taken place, he didn't show it. "Phil Coulson was a friend to us all. Not only was he one of the best agents to ever grace this division, he was, without a doubt, one of the greatest men I have ever met. It is understandable that his death would leave a scar on those who considered him a friend." He turned back to the screen. "However, I wouldn't let it bother you too much."

Without another word, Fury turned to leave, not bothering to turn off the screen that held the image of Coulson. Loki turned just as Fury was about to walk out the door and called out to him. "Director, the Chitauri are coming again."

Fury stopped and spun on his heel. "When?"

Loki sighed. "I do not know for sure exactly when they will arrive, only that they will be coming soon. We must be ready when they do. This was the reason I came here tonight: to warn you."

"I don't suppose you could tell me how you know this?" Fury seemed to think that Loki would not be either willing or able to say.

Loki sighed. "Call it a...vision."

Fury was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you." He then turned and continued on his way.

Loki was not worried by Fury's lack of extreme reaction to the news, after all, the man never let himself over-react to anything. He was sure that by the time the sun came up, Fury would already in the process of planning their defenses and responses for when the Chitauri arrived.

Loki turned his eyes back to the monitor and frowned. He scanned everything on the screen, finding it to be a personnel file. Date of Birth, place of education, home address, phone number, Date of Death..._**What in the Nine...?**_ He leaned closer and his frown deepened, now colored with confusion.

**Date of Death: N/A**

Loki stepped back, not quite sure what to make of what he was seeing. How was there no date of death recorded on this file? As far as Loki could tell, there was only two possible reasons; One, the file was simply incomplete, or, two...Agent Phil Coulson was not as dead as S.H.I.E.L.D. would have everyone believe. Loki decided that he was going to find out which one was the case.

If Coulson was alive, what reason did Fury have for keeping it a secret for so long? Wouldn't those that had called Coulson 'friend' benefit from know such a detail? Another mystery to be unraveled and brought into the light, willingly or screaming, but into the light nonetheless.

**XXXX 9:21 A.M. / 0921**

Natasha opened her eyes, a single ray of sunlight shining in through a crack in the curtains to illuminate half of her face. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her mind foggy. All in all, she did not feel at all rested from her night of fitfull sleep. She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in the last three days; every time she closed her eyes, the events of the day after they defeated Surtur would play across her mind's eye like some sick and twisted play, continuously repeating itself past curtain call in a seemingly endless encore. She almost longed for the images of destruction and chaos that had plagued her before the Trickster's return. Almost.

During those three days, she had continuously wracked her brain, going over every second in as much detail as her memory could conjure, searching for the moment where she had gone wrong; searching for a way to fix things. So far, it all boiled down to that final moment, when it was just her and Loki, alone.

After he had walked from the room, she had felt an intense feeling of loss, as if the only person who really mattered had just walked out of her life without a backward glance; and perhaps, to some extent, that was true. She had then rushed out to call him back, only to find the hall empty of all life.

She hadn't laid eyes on him since that moment. She prided herself in her abilities, her unrivalled skill in the art of stealth, subterfuge, interrogation, markmanships, though she was far outclassed by Clint in this field, and close-range combat. None of these skills had been of use to her in this situation; she had little to no experience when it came to matters of the heart, and she was at a loss as to how to proceed. '_**Love is for children'? Really? Who was I kidding? Love, if that is what this is, is far too complex me, let alone a child.**_ She had never felt more like a hypocrite, and yet did not care.

With a near-inaudible groan, she pushed herself up and out of her bed and made her way to the bathroom for a shower. After that, she made her way to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters to report in to Fury and recieve any orders he may have for her that day, not that she expected any. Things had been relatively quiet since the Chitauri invasion, and she had only left the country three times during that year; simple missions, nothing that required her caliber of skill to complete; nothing compared to the short war that had been waged by Loki upon the unsuspecting and unprepared human world.

Upon entering the control room, she was surprised to find Nick and Tony discussing something in hushed tones, though they seemed to be having a bit of a disagreement. She stopped short of them and waited to be addressed. Standing there, she couldn't avoid catching snatches of their conversation.

"There are more important things to worry about right now, Stark!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. But don't you think that they have a right to know?"

"Focus on the mission. We have a possible world-wide threat on our hands, this issue can wait until the crisis has been averted." Tony didn't look happy, but Fury wasn't done yet. "Besides, if I know Loki, and I think I'm starting to get an idea of how he thinks, we'll all be hearing about it by the afternoon." He tapped a screen next to them.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You let him see this?"

Fury smirked. "I _may_ have _accidentally_ left it on the screen while he was in here."

Tony shook his head. "Dammit One-Eye, you should have said so from the start. It would've saved us a lot of time and breath. Alright, back to business. Agent Romanoff?"

Natasha looked up, startled out of her own thought, having been trying to figure out what the two directors were arguing about. "Yes, Sir?

"I need you to call in Barton, Rogers, Banner and Thor, please. We have something we need to discuss with all of you." Tony's voice, while still his normal tone, was carrying a serious edge.

Natasha nodded. "Yes, sir."

She pulled out her phone and started dialling Clint's number. "Barton," she said, a bit of steel to her voice, "get Banner, Thor and Rogers and report to headquarters immediately. The Directors what to see us all." She didn't wait for a response before hanging up. Faintly, she felt a bit of guilt at the way she was treating Clint. After all, he was her friend and she was treating him like the enemy. She just wished he'd pull his head out of his ass and see things the way they really were. They weren't saints, their hands were stained with blood just as much as Loki's were, so they had no right to judge him. Clint claimed that there was more to it than that, but he wasn't forthcoming with the details on the matter, so as far as she could tell, it was a petty hate.

A half-hour later, the team was all gathered, minus Loki, and sitting around the circular table they used for their meetings. Loki's absence did not sit well with her and she found herself shooting glances to the place he would have occupied had he been there. _**Then again, he was never really part of the team. Not officially.**_ Despite that fact, she had been hoping he would show up with Thor anyway. He always seemed to show up when he wasn't expected, or welcome, in some cases, but when he was, he did not show. She skillfully hid her disappointment and turned her gaze to Fury and Stark, who were now standing before them, looking deadly serious.

"Alright, _amigos_, here's the deal," Tony began. "We have recieved intelligence that the Chitauri are going to be invading again in the near future. Nick and I have spent the better part of this morning composing a system of response and counter-attack. It isn't done yet, for obvious reasons, namely the fact that we have no means of which to do a threat assessment until they enter our orbit or airspace."

Nick picked up the thread of discussion. "We've prepared for something like this. When we rebuilt the damaged areas of the city, we built underground shelters for the general populace. We comissioned teams to every other major city across the country, as well as in other countries to set up more of these bunkers."

"Where do we come in to play?" Steve asked, not seeing the point to this information, at least not where they were involved. If the army was coming, they need a plan of action, not details about civilian evacuations that they would have nothing to do with; as cold as that sounds, he didn't mean it that way.

"The last time they came here, we were only able to defeat them with a nuclear missile, and the only reason that didn't effect us is because it was detonated on the other side of space." Tony placed his hands on the tabletop and leaned forward a bit. "If they come _here_, to Earth, we lose that advantage. We cannot detonate a nuke within our own atmoshere, or we'll only be hurting ourselves and saving E.T. the trouble of killing us."

Fury's voice was calmer than Stark's, a testiment to just how in-control the man really was. "We have a tentative plan of action, but we can't put the final touches on it until we can assess our enemy. We just wanted to give you all a heads-up so that we aren't caught off-guard when the invasion comes."

Natasha looked at her hands for a second before looking back up at the Directors. "Sir," she spoke to Fury, "why is Loki not present?" Everyone seemed to want to know the answer to this question, each waiting impatiently for the answer; each for different reasons.

Fury suppressed a sigh, and cocked his head. "Let's just say that he's off on a small quest of his own right now. He already knows about the invasion."

"How?" Clint asked, his tone even, not revealing any details as to his thought-process.

Tony shrugged. "Because _he's_ the one that told _us_." Clint frowned.

Steve was confused, having a difficult time wrapping his brain around how Loki would have known that the Chitauri were coming before S.H.I.E.L.D. did. He supposed that he might have used his magic, but that still didn't clear anything up for him.

Thor wondered what hidden skill Loki had employed to recieve such premonition. Loki had never dabbled in the arts of divination, at least not to his knowledge, but even if he had, that practice was near useless to those that did not possess Allsight. The only person he knew with that skill was their Mother, and she had ceased revealing her visions after the failed attempt to preserve Balder's life, and event that Loki continued to blame himself for. He determined to ask his brother the origin of his information when he next saw him.

Natasha was also curious as to how Loki knew about the invasion, but even more so, she was curious about what form of 'quest' the Trickster was on, and when he would be back. She hoped it would be soon, and he would not disappear again before she had a chance to set things right.

**XXXX 4:44 P.M. / 1644**

The Chitauri fleet sped toward Earth, every one of the alien soldiers was primed and ready for battle, ready to make the human race pay for the humiliating defeat that they had dealt them during the last time they had come here. The engines were engaged to all-ahead full, and not letting up until they entered the Earth's orbit.

The Other gazed out the main viewport, eyes locked firmly on the ever-growing orb of blue that was Earth. He had used some of his power that was connected to the scepter to pull Loki into an imagined landscape, very similar to that of Titan, and issue his offer and warning. He had not expected the god to accept, and therefore was not surprised when he had refused to join them once more.

They were closer to Earth than the illusion would lead him to believe, much closer. If his estimations were correct, they would arrive within four hours time, or possibly less, barring any unforeseeable obstacles they may encounter.

**XXXX 9:25 A.M. / 0925 - 5:03 P.M. / 1703**

Loki had memorized the address given in the file, that was the supposed place of dwelling for Agent Phil Coulson. It had taken him a short time to find it, having decided to do things the Midgardian way and hail a cab, using a bit of conjured money to pay the grouchy man that drove it.

Now here he stood, finally at his destination. It was a simple apartment on the outskirts of the city, a few miles away from S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. Whether Coulson was there, was a different story altogether.

Loki stood across the street from the place, dressed in Midgardian clothes that consisted of a simple black business suit much like those worn by some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, though the jacket was longer; he didn't think that his 'opera-worthy' clothes would be very inconspicuous in this kind of place.

He made his way across the street and began to hunt down the door with the proper number on it. After a few minutes, he found it. It was an unassuming little door, dark blue in color and accompanied by a quaint little 'welcome' mat on the step before it. Not the type of place that would even be given a cursory glance, let alone a second. Perfect hiding place for someone that did not wish to be found. _**Hiding in plain sight? Maybe...**_

He stepped forward and grasped the handle, giving it a turn, testing it. It was locked. Loki sighed and let go of it. He sighed and looked around, maybe for a spare key. He knew that mortals sometimes left one for special visitors so that they could enter the dwelling when the owner was away. He could not detect one.

Another sigh passed his lips and he walked up to one of the windows attached to the dwelling and peered inside. He could barely see anything in the darkness of the interior, and his view was mostly blocked by thick curtains. He looked around him and them swiftly teleported himself into the apartment.

Once inside, he immediately checked his surroundings. They were far from lavish, simple, yet...tasteful. There was only what was needed to live comfortably. A sofa, a low table in front of that, a television, and a bookshelf with several books on its shelves. He walked through the house, noting signs of recent living. In the kitchen, there was a bowl of fresh fruit on the countertop, the fridge was stocked with plenty of food, none of it even near rotten.

He walked into what he assumed was the main bedroom and went to the closet. Inside were several suits, all like the one he remembered Coulson wearing when he had 'killed him. The strangeness of the situation was starting to unnerve Loki and he kept his senses trained for anything that was out of place.

He returned to the living room and settled himself on the couch to wait. It was the mid-late afternoon when the silence in the house was broken.

He had been sitting there, lost in his own thoughts, the very fringes of his consciousness still left to alert him to anything that changed in the establishment around him.

He stilled when he heard the lock on the front door click open. Someone else was here.

The front door opened to admit a middle-aged man in a simple black business suit, identical to the ones he had seen in the closet. Coulson turned to where Loki was sitting, slight surprise on his face at seeing the Trickster. Coulson frowned lightly, but kept his expression mostly neutral. "When Director Fury told me you had returned, I admit, I wasn't all that thrilled. "He placed down the briefcase that he had in his hand and went into the kitchen. "You did try to kill me after all. A little more to the left and you might have succeeded. Lucky for me, your aim wasn't perfect." Coulson came back with a drink in his hand. "So, care to explain why you're in my home?"

Loki had to consciously keep his face from showing the confusion that he felt. After all this time, and after nearly killing him, Coulson acted as if nothing was out of place, except for Loki's presence in his apartment. Instead, he donned his trademark smirk. "Seems Fury is better at keeping secrets than I gave him credit for, and I'm assuming that Stark knows you're here as well, now that he's Co-Director." Coulson nodded, confirming this statement. "What I don't understand is 'why'. Why, knowing the effect it would have on the others, would Fury keep the fact that you are not dead a secret, after the battle was won?"

Coulson took a sip from the glass in his hand. "Fury kept the fact that I was alive hidden so as to give the Avengers the push they needed to join together and defeat you. After that I was evacuated from the Hellicarrier to a secured medical facility for operation and recovery. After my recovery, I was put on temporary leave until I was deemed psychologically fit to return to work. Then, I was immediately given a mission, working undercover at a highschool where we have reports that one of the students seems to be exhibiting extraordinary abilities and keep tabs on him."

Loki waved that information away. "That still does not explain why he never told anyone that you were alive."

"He never told anyone, because I asked him not to." He gestured to the apartment around them and then to the area outside the windows. "It would be hard to keep a low profile around here if my friends from S.H.I.E.L.D. were coming and going. Could you imagine the attention I would get if Stark came down here? Or Thor? Or Captain Rogers? My cover would be blown, even if there was no proof that I was involved with the Avengers in any way."

Loki cocked his head and nodded. He could understand that. Even if he had told them and asked them not to come around, Tony was too rebellious to listen and Thor would come out of a sense of obligation; he, his brother, had stabbed the man after all. "I suppose that makes sense." Coulson nodded in agreement. "So, are Stark and Fury the only ones that know about this?"

Coulson shook his head. "No. Agent Hill knows as well. She's also stationed at the school, and lives in this same complex as well. My reports are sent in with her, to ensure that my continued existance is not revealed." He cocked his head. "Which begs the question: how did _you_ find me?"

Loki's smirk became more pronounced. "It wasn't that hard. S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to have forgotten that you are 'dead'. Your file says you are still alive and provided me with an address. After that, it was a simple matter of catching a cab."

Coulson shook his head and sighed. "Why were you looking at my file?"

"I didn't seek it out, it was on Fury's console in the control room. I merely took a longer-than-casual glance at it, and went on from there." He shrugged.

"Come to finish the job?"

Loki shook his head. "No. I bear you no ill will, I never did. Had you simply stayed out of my way, I would have left you unharmed."

Coulson nodded, seeming to accept this. "Unfortunately, I could not simply stand by and let you escape without trying to prevent it." His hand brushed against the place where Loki had stabbed him. "I almost did die, you know. Luckily your spear missed my heart and lungs, as well as major arteries." He met Loki's eyes. "I can tell that you're wondering why I'm being so open and unhostile. The simple answer is that I can't blame you without blaming myself. We were both soldiers in a war, one of us had to be defeated, you just happened to be better. If I hadn't confronted you, I wouldn't have been hurt, but we may not have won the battle. Without the team thinking that you had killed one of their own, they would never have been able to put their differences aside and join to take you down." He sighed again. "I suppose, in some ways, your orchestrated your own downfall."

Loki turned to leave, not bothering to address what Coulson had just said; it was enough for him to know that there was a little less blood on his hands and that his surviving victim held no grudge; he felt immensely better with that knowledge. "I think there are some others who would benefit from the knowledge that I didn't actually kill you. Maybe you should think about making an appearance at Headquarters in the near-future."

Coulson looked thoughtful. "Perhaps."

"Farwell, Agent Coulson." Loki vanished, leaving the apartment, and the not-so-dead S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, far behind.

Coulson continued to look at the floor in silent contemplation. Why let his friends continue with false pain in their hearts? Was the job so important that he must now forsake all ties? No, it was not. He didn't figure that he would be stationed at the school for much longer as it was anyway. They had watched the Parker boy for quite a while now, and seen no evidence to support the claims that had been made by a few of the students. Maybe Loki was right, and it was time to come back from the dead.

**XXXX 5: 09 P.M. / 1709**

Loki walked into the control room. Fury and Stark stood at their stations. Both looked up at him as he entered, not having masked his movements. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Tony asked him.

Loki smirked and nodded. "In a sense." He didn't elaborate further. "Did you come up with a plan to counter the Chitauri when they arrive?"

Tony nodded and brought up a file on his screen, then used his own newly-installed technology to make it appear as a three-dimensional hologram above the console. "I was going through the inventory of all of the weapons we have in stock, incuding Phase 2 prototypes and confiscated HYDRA weapons. I found these." He isolated an image of some cylinder-shaped devices. "These are a set of bomb prototypes created using energy from the Tesseract. We only have two right now, but I've comissioned JARVIS to get to work creating some more, the only problem is that we need either the Tesseract or your Scepter to create more cores."

Loki frowned. "I thought you had agreed that Phase 2 was too dangerous to be put into production."

"I did, but-"

"-but, our plan requires these devices. We are only producing enough to get the job done, with a few spares, just in case."

Loki nodded and summoned his Scepter to his hand and passed it to Stark.

Tony took the Scepter with a nod of thanks and then scowled over at Fury, who had interrupted his explanation. He turned back to Loki and continued. "There is only one other snag in the this plan of utter genius that I have concocted, and that is that we have no clue as to the size of our enemy, nor the inner-workings of their ships."

Loki nodded. "I know some of how they work from my time spent among them. So, what, pray tell, is this masterpiece of a plan?"

Tony grinned. "Have you ever heard the tale of Jonah?"

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another Chapter Down! Let me know what you all think of it. Feedback is always appreciated. Review, but don't Flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	17. Arival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else within the Marvel Universe.**

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. This chapter was hard for me, and I didn't have time to edit this, so forgive any mistakes. Nothing really to say right now...hmm...Ever read or seen 'A Clockwork Orange'? Brilliant story, amazing film... kind of twisted but eh whatever. On to the story! Read! Review! Enjoy!**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XVII: Arrival**

**'I'm not strong enough to stay away. Can't run from, I just run back to you. Like a moth I'm drawn into your flame, say my name, but it's not the same. You look in my eyes, I'm stripped of my pride. And my soul surrenders, and you bring my heart to its knees.'**

**-Not Strong Enough by Apocalyptica (feat. Brent Smith of Shinedown)**

**XXXX 5:21 P.M. / 1721**

An alarm began to sound from one of the workstations in the control room. Tony, Fury and Loki all turned toward the sound. "Report!" Fury called out to the agent manning the station.

A young man, that Loki recognized as the agent that had led him to retrieve his scepter, stood and called back. "Director! We just recieved this from our agent at SETI. They've picked up a signal. NASA has also recieved data from the Hubble that contains an image of what appear to be alien spacecraft."

Fury nodded. "Send it to my terminal."

Stark looked down at the screens. "Got it." He made a motion with his hands and a large image appeared over the console. In the image were three massive ships, much like the one that Tony remembered seeing on the other side of the portal, as well as several smaller craft. The ships were also surrounded by dozens of Leviathan, the large organic creatures that acted as transports for the Chitauri. "Well, well, well. Would you look at that. They're almost here." He pointed to a great reddish-colored orb behind the fleet. "That's Mars."

Fury turned back to the agent that had recieved the image. "How long ago was this taken?"

"Almost an hour ago. The neccessary individuals on Capital Hill have been informed, and all agree that this is to be kept quiet until the World Security Council decides the best course of action."

Fury frowned, but Stark did not stay quiet. "No, no, no, that's bullshit! We need to begin moving the civilians into the shelters immediately. We don't know where they'll strike, but we need to be ready. The Council, will wait until the Chitauri enter our atmoshere and then respond, _after_ lives have already been lost."

Fury picked up a phone and hit a few buttons. He held a quiet conversation with whoever he had called and then hung up.

There was a beep on Fury's console that drew their attention. Fury tapped a few things and his lips turned up a bit in satisfaction. "We just recieved clearance to take command of the situation. The order to get all civilians into the bunkers has gone out. Police forces are being rallied to begin the evacuation, and we have been charged to prepare a counter strike. The Avengers have been given the green-light to engage the enemy at will."

Tony smirked and shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask how you got that done."

"Well, now that you work with us, your friends in high places are more than willing to help us out."

Tony held up his hands. "Again, I won't ask." He looked to where Loki had been standing, hands clasped behind his back, silently watching the proceedings. "Do me a favor and gather the others. We need to go over the plan and prepare to counter attack. Summon your father as well, we may have need of some of your people. They should all be at the Tower again by now."

Loki sighed and nodded. He felt the cool sensation of his magic crawl through his veins and then the weightless feeling of teleportation.

**XXXX 5:14 P.M. / 1714 - 5:23 P.M. / 1723**

Natasha stepped into the security room of Stark Tower and took a seat in front of the screens. She had come here while Clint was on his break to see if she could find Loki in the building. She had already checked his room and the roof, finding both empty, though she did run into Thor, who too was waiting impatiently for his brother to make his reappearance.

She was disappointed to find no trace of the God of Mischief on any of the screens. Hunting down the Trickster was near impossible; just when you thought you might be getting close, he was gone again; the ability to teleport anywhere he wished was an advantage that many would deem as unfair.

She sighed and was about to stand when the door behind her opened and Clint walked back in, having finished his short break and returned to continue his dilligent watch over the inhabitants of Stark Tower. He paused in surprise when he noticed her in his chair, rather than the usual grunt agent that stood in for him when he slept or took his short breaks. "Oh. Hey, Natasha," he greeted. Natasha frowned at how casual he was, as though nothing had happened. "What are you doing in here?" he asked, pulling up another chair.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, contemplating whether or not to answer him truthfully. _**I have no reason to lie, nothing to hide...not anymore.**_ "Looking for Loki."

Clint sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know how to respond to that, and he didn't want to anger her further than she already was with him. That was something else he didn't understand, not completely. "What is it, that makes you take his side all the time?"

Natasha left out a breath and leaned back in her chair. She had made a bit of headway to sorting out her own feelings, but she wasn't going to share what she was feeling with Clint when she hadn't even shared them with the man, or god, that the feelings were directed toward. "It's complicated," she said evasively.

"Try me."

Natasha frowned. "It's not really any of your business," she told him, trying not to make her words sound like she was being rude or mean.

Unfortunately, Clint still seemed to be a bit irritated by this response. "You know, I don't get it. We've been partners for how long, Natasha?" Natasha knew that this was a rhetorical question, so she did not bother to answer. "After all these years, why is it that you can no longer confide in me?"

They had never really been 'partners', but they might as well have been, considering how many missions they had been on together. She could understand where he was coming from, but she still did not think that this was something she could share with anyone until she had cleared everything up between her and Loki.

"This is a personal matter, Clint. I don't have to tell you everything." She frowned to herself, feeling a bit juvenile having said that. She shook that off though; after all, it was true. Just because they had known each other for a while, and he had rescued her from her past life, didn't give him the right to know every intimate detail of her life; she didn't know everything about him, nor did she want to.

Clint clenched his fist and ground his teeth. He hated hearing that. Essentially, she had just told him that she didn't trust him with the information. And in a relationship that had been built on trust, that was the ultimate slap in the face.

"Damn it, Natasha!" He barely kept himself from raising his voice. "I want to understand this, but I can't if you aren't willing to tell me what the hell is going on! If Loki-"

Natasha stood and cut him off. "What is it with you? What has Loki done to deserve your hate? I could've believed that it all stemmed from the way he controlled you, but now, after what you pulled the other day, that excuse just won't cut it!"

"That bastard deserves more than just my hate, after all he's done! You should hate him just as much as I do!" By now, they were both standing, facing off against each other with near-matching glares. "I didn't spare your life just so you could turn your back on me later!" Clint snarled.

Natasha felt as if she had been slapped. What was he suggesting? She wasn't sure, but she was sure of the fact that she had had enough of this conversation. She resisted the urge to physically lash out at him, but the hurt she was feeling wouldn't let her leave without a final word though. "Then you should have killed me when you had the chance."

She turned on her heel and stormed from the room, barely refraining from slamming the door behind her as Clint tried to call her back. She ignored him.

After she had left, Clint sank back into his chair and put his head in his hands. He hadn't meant that the way it had sounded, but it was too late to take it back now.

Natasha marched her way up to where her room was, trying to reign in her temper the whole way. She pushed open her door and walked inside closing her door solidly behind her. On her walk she had figured out why she was struck so deeply by Clint's words: he had implied that he was regretting having let her live; that if he had killed her like he had been ordered to do, things may be easier now. Also, it was as if her growing relationship with Loki was a personal insult to him. _**Well, our relationship **_**had**_** been growing... **_And that was the crux of the whole problem.

She ran her hands through her hair, and sighed. She was about to sit down on her bed when the speakers that were hidden throughout the entire building came to life, filled with the voice she had been longing to hear for what seemed like so long now.

**XXXX 5:22 P.M. / 1722**

Instead of hunting down each of the members individually, he went to the room in the lobby that was behind the main reception desk. Inside this room was the controls for the building's main intercom system. Before entering, he looked around. All of the normal employees that usually worked this area were all gone, replaced by armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He assumed that they had all been relocated to the bunker that Stark had built under the Tower.

Loki pushed open the door to the com-room. "JARVIS?" Loki spoke to the empty space.

A second passed. "Yes, sir?"

"I need you to activate the intercom, I need to call everyone together." Loki waited for the screen to flare to life. "Thank you, JARVIS."

"You are welcome, sir."

Loki pressed the button that would turn on the microphone and began to speak with a small smirk on his face; since returning from meeting Coulson, he had been feeling a bit more like himself again. "Captain Rogers, Agent Barton, Doctor Banner, Thor, Odin and Natasha Romanoff, please report to the lobby immediately." He released the button, "Thank you, JARVIS, that is all."

"Very well, Sir." The console turned back off.

He then walked out into the lobby to wait.

A short time later he was joined by Agent Barton. The two looked at each other, the air tense. Loki met the other man's eyes, seeing something familiar in his eyes, a conflict, a war was being waged within Clint, and Loki could see that he was hurting. That was something he could understand, and he sympathized.

He inclined his head to the Agent in a nod of acknowledgement and and greeting. Clint nodded stiffly back. Loki looked around and saw that the others had still not entered the lobby. The two shifted awkwardly, unsure as to how to behave around each other now that they had been forced to call a 'ceasefire'. For his part, Loki did not openly show his unease, his smirk still in place and his hands clasped behind his back.

Clint was incined to ignore the Trickster for the time being and went back into his own thoughts.

**XXXX 5:32 P.M. / 1732**

Natasha came into the lobby, looking slightly windswept, as if she had run the whole way. She let out a sigh of relief as her eyes found Loki, standing patiently in the center of the lobby. She started toward him, but paused when she saw Clint there as well. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing back the hurt and anger she still felt. She released the breath, letting the air flow past her lips, then continued her way over to them.

She came to a stop next to Loki and looked up at him, unsure. She had planned everything in her head on the way here, but now that she was standing before him, all of her plans went out the window and the words died on her lips. She was losing her nerve, not something that usually happened to her.

Loki gazed at her neutrally and gave her a small smile. Even now, standing there with her looking at him as if she wanted to say something, but could not find the words, he could not stop the swell of happiness that rose within him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud, booming voice that echoed through the lobby.

"Brother!"

They all turned to see Thor and Odin walking toward them, Thor with a large grin on his face. "Thor." Loki nodded in greeting. "Father." Odin smiled and nodded back.

"We missed you at the meeting earlier. Where had you gone off to?" Thor asked.

Loki smirked and cocked his head. "Dear Brother, I have no idea what you are talking about." Thor frowned, but Loki did not let the smirk slip from his face. He was not going to be the one to reveal Coulson's continued existance, it was not his place to.

Steve and Banner joined them a moment later, cutting further conversation short. "Alright, Loki, what's going on?" Steve asked. He looked around. "And, where is everyone?"

The other looked around as well, noting the absence of employees. Loki's face turned serious. "The Chitauri are coming."

Steve was confused. "We already know that-"

"The powers that be have ordered all civilians into the underground shelters until the threat has been dealt with." He paused. "Stark and Fury want us at Headquarters as soon as possible. They've concocted a plan to stop the Chitauri fleet."

Clint nodded. "Then we had better get going, shouldn't we."

Bruce nodded as well. "I agree. The sooner we prepare, the quicker we'll be able to react, the faster we react, the more lives we save."

Odin looked at Bruce appraisingly, he was strangely wise for a mortal.

Loki gestured toward the doors that led to the Tower's garage where Tony kept all of his cars. "Shall we?" Without waiting for further response, he turned and began to walk, leaving the others to catch up.

Steve frowned after Loki's departing figure. "I hate it when he does that."

Thor shook his head, walking beside the super-soldier. "Believe me, it is worse when he teleports."

Natasha brought up the rear. She snorted to herself as she heard Thor's words. _**You have no idea.**_

Loki gave a flick of his wrist and the doors of one of Stark's limos opened with a definitive click. He opened the back door and left it open for the others. He reached into the front and grabbed the hat that he had seen the drivers wear. Everyone filed into the car, Clint stopping to look around. He made to enter the car after Natasha but was stopped by Loki's arm in front of him. "No, no, no. I don't know how to drive these things." Clint sighed and gave a 'fine' motion and made to go around Loki to the driver's door. Loki stopped him one more time. "You'll be needing this." He put the cap in Clint's hand and then climbed into the car, closing the door behind him. Just because they had a truce, that didn't mean that he could mess with the man a bit.

Clint frowned down at the cap in his hand and then flicked his eyes to where Loki and disappeared into the car and scowled. He shook his head and got in the driver's seat. He flipped down the viser and grabbed the keys and started the engine. He looked at himself in the mirror and shrugged. "Ah, what the hell." He put the cap on his head and then proceeded to drive out of the garage.

In the back of the car, Loki was sitting next to Bruce and across from Natasha. He looked past her and through the open window that was between them and the driver, Clint. He felt his lips tug upward when he noticed that the archer was indeed wearing the cap he had handed to him.

Natasha noticed that he was smiling and cocked her head, trying to decipher what he was thinking. But his eyes revealed nothing but amusement, at what, she did not know. His eyes turned to her and they changed, taking on a sad tint; she was sure that her eyes held a similar look. Also in his eyes was a lingering doubt, the same doubt that she had seen in him before he had stormed out of the room, leaving her in a sea of regret.

She held his gaze, not wanting to look away as she had before, lest he again mistake it as rejection. He too did not break away, nor did he blink. The two were trying to comunicate through looks alone, ignoring the rest of the world, and the people, around them. Natasha was trying to convey a silent apology, to tell him that she had not meant what he thought when she had said that she did not know how to explain what he meant to her, and he was simply saying that he understood what her eyes were telling him. This was as close as they could get to speaking telepathically. For now, it was enough.

**XXXX 6:03 P.M. / 1803**

Loki pushed open the door of limo and stepped out, standing aside to allow the rest of the passengers to exit as well. Clint stepped out of the driver's seat and took the hat off, tossing back inside the car, but not before the others had seen it. Thor and Odin did not quite understand why Bruce and Steve were chuckling, nor why Loki and Natasha were suppressing smiles. Clint scowled at them and walked off, heading into the unspectacular building that S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken up residence in.

Loki followed with the others. He snuck a glance back at Natasha, noting that she was doing the same. Even though he had understood what she was thinking in the car, he was wary of allowing himself to open up again and let her see the bare, raw being beneath the calm, smirking facade that he put forth for all the Nine Worlds to see. It was a perfect facade, base in the true essence of his being, but not presenting the whole. He rarely used it anymore, not since he had started to feel more and more comfortable around the humans he was walking with at that very moment. But it was this mask that he wore now,

Stepping into the control room behind Clint, he noticed that the marksman had come to a stop just inside the door. He stepped around him and his eyes fell on what had made Clint pause. Coulson was standing with the two Directors and Agent Maria Hill.

Loki continued into the room, but the rest of those that followed, save for Odin, all froze in shock as well. Stark and Fury noticed their stunned and hurt expressions, both looking suitably guilty. Hill seemed a bit sorry as well, but it was Coulson himself that was giving them all a heavily apologetic smile.

It was Thor that broke the silence. "How is this possible?" He looked from Loki to Coulson. "I saw you die."

Coulson looked at his feet for a moment; during that moment, Clint and Natasha, who were both looking thoroughly betrayed, had time to snap out of their shock and make their way over to their comrade that they had believed dead.

Loki looked on, unsure as to whether they were going to hug him or hit him; they looked like they weren't sure either. They opted for the former. It was a rather touching sight, old friends reunited. Soon, Thor joined as well, giving him a solid handshake, seeing as he did not know the agent well enough for a more personal greeting as his friends and fellow agents had.

Thor stepped back to stand next to Loki. "You knew about this, did you not, Brother."

Loki smirked. "I may have known something about this."

"Why did you not say anything?"

Loki looked up at his brother. "It was not my place to do so."

Loki watched the agents, and Stark, all smiling and conversing like a family brought back together after years of separation, and wondered, for a moment, why his own family had never, exactly, been like that. Sure, they had gotten along and had several familial moments that were worth remembering, but, thinking about it, their had always been a dark cloud hanging over their heads, tainting the memory. He figured that that dark cloud was him, or at least what he was, the shameful secret that was known to none save Odin and Frigga for so long, until he had accidentally stumbled onto the monster lurking inside him.

He snapped himself from those thoughts and returned them to the place that he had buried them in his heart, until they had resurfaced again on the cragged slopes of Beerenberg.

He turned his eyes back to where Coulson was now explaining to the others why had not returned right after Loki was defeated, and where he had been for the past year since then. He could see that they were hurt by the fact that they had not been trusted with the information by Fury, but their joy at seeing Phil again far outweighed any resentment they felt.

Natasha looked over her shoulder at the Lord of Mischief with a thoughtful expression. She wondered, if they had known of Coulson's survival sooner, would the others have been more inclined to accept Loki into the fold, or would they still treat him the same? Would Clint have been as hostile?

Loki noticed the attention shown his way and walked over to where the agents were standing. He gave Coulson a pat on the shoulder, Clint eyeing him warily the whole time, not having forgotten that Loki had been the one to stab the man in the first place. "I'm glad you decided to take my advise," the Trickster said with a small smile.

Couslon nodded. "So am I."

**XXXX 6:25 P.M. / 1825**

"When the Chitauri arrive, they will most likely bring their ships into our atmosphere to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons. They know that we will not take the risk of hurting ourselves in the fallout." Tony stood in front of the table where everyone was sitting, all listening intently to his words so as not to miss anything. "Also, they will have the advantage of superior weaponry and will most likely stick to the air, as they did before." He looked up at the ceiling. "JARVIS, display Phase 2, file number 326."

Natasha perked up, hearing the words 'Phase 2'. She was confused, considering that, to her knowledge, Phase 2 had been shut down by S.H.I.E.L.D. as soon as Stark had joined as Joint Director, and it had been held off by Fury before that. Thor vaguely remembered hearing about this research, but wasn't too sure what it was. Clint was of a similar mind as Natasha, wondering why the two men who were so against the creation of these weapons, were now speaking of them in a way that made him think that they were going to be using them. Steve wanted to speak up against the idea, but decided to wait and hear out what Tony and Fury had planned. Bruce was wearing a neutral expression, waiting patiently for his fellow scientist and genius to continue.

A holographic image appeared over the table, showing a cylindral device made of some type of light metal and a small screen on it that, when activated, showed the status the charge. There was also two small buttons on the device. At each end there was a blue glow shining through a thin strip of clear glass, showing the Tesseract Power held within the core.

Loki eyed the device, already knowing what Tony had in mind for it.

"These bombs are prototypes that I found in the stock of Phase 2 weapons kept in storage here in this base. They are powered using a combination of electronics and energy from the Tesseract. With Loki's help, we have used the Scepter to create more cores for these devices and developed a better understanding of our enemy. JARVIS, display blueprint number 5627, please."

A three-dimensional image of a strangely-shaped spacecraft appeared over the table, the bomb becoming smaller and moving aside to allow the second image to be seen. Tony gestured to Loki, who nodded and stood. "This is the _Sanctuary_, the ship that Tony detroyed with the nuclear missile last year. It's design was used as a model for the rest of Thanos' fleet, with slight variations throughout. However, one detail remains unchanged in each vessel." He pointed to a spot near the rear of the ship, where the thrusters were located. "The engine room is located here, below and behind the docking bay. Within this room is a generator, massive in size. This generator is what powers the entire ship." He looked up. "JARVIS, simulate detonation." The image the bomb moved over onto the ship and positioned itself in the room that Loki had indicated. "If we set the bombs to detonate these generators, their ships will not be able to remain airborne." He paused. "There is also the chance that the explosion will cause a chain reaction and destroy the entire vessel, so the timing must be perfect so that everyone has time to escape before the blast."

Nick stepped up. "There are three main ships in the fleet, and, as we've seen before, if we bring down these ships, we stop the entire fleet."

Loki nodded. "Every Chitauri and Leviathan is implanted with an inhibiter chip of sorts at the base of the skull or spinal column. If the ships are destroyed, a signal is sent to these chips and the chips then sever the spinal cord and nerves that connect the brain to the rest of the body, instantly killing the being that the chip is implanted in. This prevents the enemy from taking live prisoners, thereby eliminating the chance of the enemy garnering any information out of the Chitauri."

"Thus allowing Thanos to maintain the advantage of his enemies' ignorance," Bruce noted, again earning a glance from Odin. The Allfather was also impressed with his youngest son's attention to detail and strategy; he had not thought that Loki had paid much attention to such lessons as a boy, Thor had listened intently, as such lessons were often accompanied by tales of battle and victory.

Tony inclined his head to Bruce, conceding the point. Loki returned to his seat. Nick took center stage. "You will be split into three teams. Each of these teams will board one of the ships and plant their device. Once the device is armed, it will be remote-detonated after all members of each team are clear of the blast raduis."

"The teams have already been decided," Tony informed them. "We have paired you up based on strengths and weaknesses. "Thor, you're with Banner. If he loses control of the Hulk, you are the only one that can take him head-on." Thor and Bruce traded looks and nodded. "Cap, you're with me." Steve nodded. "Clint and Natasha, you two are with Loki." Loki looked up sharply at the same time that the two agents did. Tony saw the question in their eyes and continued. "You three will be taking the flagship. Loki knows the layout of these ships better than any of us, plus you two are the only ones here that don't have any powers to keep you safe, so Loki will act as a guide and reinforcements." Loki gave a 'that makes sense' motion with his head while the two agents nodded their understanding.

Tony clapped his hands. "Alright, now, we have only a short time for each of you to learn how set and arm your bombs, each team will carry two bombs, one should be enough, but, hey, better safe than dead, right?"

Fury turned to where Odin was sitting, regal and strong, as if the simple cushioned chair he was seated on was a throne made of the finest Asgardian stone and gold. "We know that you have been preparing for you and your people to return to Asgard, but we must ask one more favor of you before you go."

Odin studied the two Directors. From what he had seen of them, they were wise, strong, brave, capable and compassionate leaders, just as any leader should be. So he asked, "What is it you require?"

"A distraction," Fury answered.

Tony picked up that thread of discussion. "While our strike-teams are doing their thing, we need someone to keep the enemy off their scent. We want to keep as many of the Chitauri fighting out on the ground as we can manage and try to keep the heat off of us," he gestured to himself and the other Avengers, "as much as possible." He waved a hand toward Odin. "That's where you and your warriors come into play."

Odin seemed to think this over for a moment. "The warriors that were not allowed to stay and defend Asgard will be pleased to hear that they may still have the chance to fight the enemy that dared invade our home." He smiled a grim smile, the smile of warrior that had seen far too many battles, and yet still charged willingly into the fray to fight for that which he believed in; the safety of mankind was something that he knew his son strongly supported, and so he would take up arms alongside them and aid them in repelling the otherworldly invaders that sought to enslave or destroy them. "We will fight."

Fury nodded his head to the King of Asgard. "Thank you."

**XXXX 6:47 P.M. / 1847**

The Other grinned as the fleet of ships passed the solitary natural satilite of Earth, the moon they called The Moon. Foolish mortals. What arrogance they possessed to name the moon of their planet as if it were the only one that mattered. By simply calling it _'The _Moon' they self-righteously proclaimed that there's was the most important. And to have the audacity to think that they were all alone in the Universe. It was disgusting.

To the rest of the galaxy, the Moon was known by the name Luna, and the Earth itself was called Terra.

Soon, the ships would break the atmosphere. It was only a matter of an hour or so. Then, Death would be unleashed. He imput the coordinates that had been recorded from the _Sanctuary_ before it was destroyed. It was the location of the previous battle. That terrain, once the site of their defeat, would become the first to fall to the might of the Chitauri.

**XXXX 6:48 P.M. / 1848**

Loki, Natasha and Clint listened carefully as Tony explained the workings of the bomb to them. They had decided that Natasha and Loki would carry their two bombs. Loki, being nigh invincible, would be the most likely to reach their objective without problem. Natasha, because of her skill in stealth, could make her way unseen, though slower, to the objective.

"Now, you should know that there are two weaknesses to these devices," Tony said, gesturing to the holo-image. "If either these little 'windows' are broken, the energy will leak out and the bomb will be useless."

"Why not just get rid of them?" Cint asked.

"If we had time, we would have, but seeing the window of time we have, we had to skip the finer details." Tony made sure that they were all ready to continue before pressing on. "Now, the other thing is the remote signal-emission chips here," he pointed to a small chip attached to the outside of the device, "if it is damaged, the bomb will have to be detonated manually, meaning that one of you would have to stay behind and press this button." He pointed to one of the two buttons on the device, one white, one black; he was pointing to the black one. "The detonation would be instantanious, so, whoever drew the short straw would not make it out alive."

Loki frowned. "Then, let's make sure that it doesn't come to that."

Tony and Clint nodded to that. Natasha bit her lip, unable to stop herself from feeling worry. Hearing what could go wrong, her mind instantly summoned up images of those possibilities. The thought of Clint...or Loki having to stay and set off the bomb, sealing their own fate in the process, made her breath catch and tears sting the corners of her eyes.

She was forced from those thoughts as an alarm began to sound overhead. Her eyes widened and her jaw clenched. That could only mean one thing. Her thoughts - or were they fears?- were confirmed when Fury turned to them. "They're here."

**XXXX 7:00 P.M. / 1900**

**A/N: Another down. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know. Review, but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	18. The Belly of the Whale

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or anything else in the Marvel Universe.**

**A/N: Dear friends, I must apologize for my unforgivable offence. I left this story sitting for FAR too long. Words cannot express how sorry I am. If I were to give an excuse, it would be that I simple lost my will to write. I hope you can all find it within yourselves to forgive me.**

**Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XVIII: The Battle of New York: The Belly of the Whale**

**'So draw, litle piggy, better watch out for number one! ( I fear there's a bad wind blowing through there) You better put up the shutters cause Lord knows now I ain't stopping til worst gets alive. Little strutter, don't you creep out that fuckin' rut. (It's best that you don't go walking through there) Now please don't bother knockin' cause God know I ain't now stopping til you breath none!'**

**-Gravemakers and Gunslingers by Coheed and Cambria.**

The Other frowned, seeing that the sun was moving away from the side of the Earth that they were going to be entering the atmosphere. Strategically, this was to their advantage as it would be harder for the Earthians to fight them in the dark, personally, he would prefer to strike during the day so that the Earthians could get a good look at the force that was going to be the harbinger that sent their heroes to Death and claimed their world for Lord Thanos. But, unfortunately, night was falling and he would not waste time in starting the attack.

He gave the command for the ships to enter the atmosphere, the ships bucking violently as the gravity changed around the hull. The Chitauri adjusted the outer shell of the ships to reduce the damage done from the flames that ate at the it as they pushed through.

A second later, they were through and rapidly adjusting to the gravity of Earth. The Leviathans had an easier transition, their tough hide and shell designed to withstand massive amounts of damage, thus the flames that licked at them caused very little more than an irritation to them.

The Other grinned. "Deploy."

**XXXX**

Tony and Thor gazed out the front window of the Quinjet as it took to the air, seeing the Chitauri launch from the bowels of the ships. "The beasts are loose. Prepare yourselves," Thor said, stepping back to join the rest of the team.

Tony nodded. "I believe a better phrase would be: Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war."

None commented on Tony's words, though Banner gave a light smirk at the quote. The billionaire took another look outside as the jet leveled out, then moved to the back of the plane to get ready as well.

**XXXX**

Odin stood atop one of the many buildings of New York, Gungnir held snuggly in his grip and his armor shining in the fading light of the setting sun. Around him, on the rooftops and the streets below, Asgardian warriors, those that had accompanied their King and Queen to Midgard, were all waiting, armed, with their eyes trained to the skies.

Sif and the Warriors Three were among those gathered, each gripping their weapons in silent anticipation. As the first of the Chitauri launched from the three massive ships on their small two-man craft, hundreds of individual Chitauri deployed from compartments embedded within the shells of the dozens of Leviathans that had come with the fleet.

A pair of Chitauri landed on the same roof that Odin stood on, both were leveled with a single swing of Gungnir. First blood had been spilled and the battle had begun.

**XXXX**

The Avengers, plus Loki, all stood in the back of a Quinjet, preparing to go to their own work. Clint attached a new string to his bow and checked to make sure that the draw-weight was good. With a nod of satisfaction, he turned to face Tony, who was standing in front of the exit ramp with his helmet in his hands and a look of determination on his face. He was, technically, the highest ranking member of the team, not counting that Thor and Loki were Princes, and was, by default, the man in charge here in the field.

Thor was, again, getting impatient. At his belt were the two bombs entrusted to his team, since Banner would be going into Hulk form as soon as they were given the all-clear to jump from the jet. Banner was adjusting the armor section of the new suit he was wearing. It was made of some special material that he and Stark had developed in hopes of avoiding further incidents where Bruce was left without clothing because of the change in size that came with the transformations. The material was designed to be highly stretchable, yet able to revert back to normal size when Banner returned to human form. They had yet to get a chance to test it, so it was going to be a trial by fire, so to speak.

Banner wasn't the only one with a new uniform. Natasha had traded in her old leather body-suit for a tougher, lighter, more flexible, and slightly tighter fitting kevlar body-suit. The suit allowed for freer movement, higher resistance to flame, ballistics and blades, and it breathed better than leather, which doesn't breath at all; perfect for her and her line of work. If Loki was honest, he quite enjoyed the way the new suit accentuated her already alluring figure.

Loki stood near the front of the jet, one hand held his Scepter while the other held onto an overhead handle to keep himself steady. He was already physically prepared for the coming events, but he was still readying himself mentally. His team would be going up onto the flagship of this fleet, the _Space Throne_, where he knew that the Other would be waiting for them. He did not doubt that the Other knew he would be coming; he had promised to kill him after all. He only hoped that the others were ready to do what had to be done.

He looked down at the bomb that hung by a small latch from his own belt, the second one was secured to Natasha's. These devices were the only hope they had to send the Chitauri fleet from the skies in a blazing, screeching wreck. His mind played through every way he could imagine that this mission could go wrong, most of them involving either the bombs being destroyed before they could set them or one of them dying; his mind tortured him with images of Natasha, laying dead at his feet. He vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power make sure that she lived to see the next sunrise, and many more after that, even if it meant giving his own life to accomplish that.

He looked to the redhead in question, to find her looking back at him. He could see in her eyes that she too was troubled. There were so many things that could go wrong during this mission, and they may not make it through. He knew this, even though they would be going aboard the same ship, and fighting alongside one another, this could very well be the last time they saw each other. He gave her what he hoped was a comforting smile, but his own fear and doubt was eating away at him. She smiled back, seeming a bit relieved that he did not appear to be overly worried. He was surprised. _**I guess I'm better at hiding my true feeling than I thought I was.**_

"Alright guys," Tony started, stepping into the middle of the bay. The jet shook slightly as it took a grazing blow from a Chitauri gun. "It's about that time. Remember everything we went over back at base and you should have no trouble. In and out, that's it. We may be the Avengers, but we don't need anyone trying to play hero out there." He let his eyes move from person to person, taking them in. "Every face I see right now, I expect to see them all smiling back at me when this is over. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now, let's go kick some alien ass."

Tony put his helmet on and let it connect to the rest of his armor before grabbing the lever that activated the ramp and pulling it. The back of the jet opened slowly to reveal a battle already well underway. The interior of the jet filled with rushing air, causing Loki, Thor and Natasha's hair to whip about around their faces.

Tony let Steve get a grip on the back of his armor and then engaged his thrusters. The two sped of toward the ship farthest from them, the _Dreadnaught-666_. Thor began to twirl Mjolnir at a rapid speed before launching out of the aircraft and toward the closest ship, the _Demeter_. Banner jumped out after him, transforming into the Hulk in mid-jump. He sailed through the air after Thor, using the higher altitude of the jet to simply fall toward the ship.

Loki stepped up to the opening with the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on either side of him. He turned around and nodded to the pilot and co-pilot that were flying the jet. They scrambled from their seats and began strapping on parachutes. Clint and Natasha took their places as the two pilots leaped from the jet. Loki closed the ramp for the moment while Clint steered them toward the center ship, the _Space Throne_.

They flew toward the docking bay, where they could see Chitauri flying out on their small craft, dodging weapons' fire as they went.

Clint flew the jet directly into the swarm of Chitauri that were exiting the ship, the mounted guns blasting away under Natasha's steady hands. Several of the craft fell from the sky in a burst of flame as they were destroyed by the rapid fire of the machine guns.

Clint seemed to tighten his grip as they drew nearer to the force-field that kept the inside of the docking bay stablized and pressurized while in space. Loki reached forward and steadied them. Clint looked up at him with a frown. "Don't worry," Loki told him without looking at him, "we'll pass through as if it were air."

Clint did not respond, simply turned back to the controls and continued to fly them straight at the opening. Loki was taking their truce seriously, and trying to, at least, work with the man, but Clint, it seemed, was content to ignore the Trickster unless the situation required otherwise.

They passed through the force-field without so much as a shudder and Clint landed the jet expertly.

When the jet had come through, all of the Chitauri in the hanger had abandoned what they were doing, save for those that were preparing to fly out to join the battle in the city below, and rushed over to surround the human aircraft.

Loki lowered the ramp and the three of them ran out onto the main floor of the hanger. Natasha's guns were in her hands in the blink of an eye as she laid low a small group of Chitauri that had rushed to engage them. Clint drew back his bow and released an arrow at another group of four. The arrow struck one of the Chitauri between the eyes, then exploded, sending the other three to the ground in a heap and leaving the one that it had hit headless. and smoking.

Loki had unleashed a blast from his Scepter that sent a departing craft back to the ground, damaging several others and killing almost a dozen Chitauri in the resulting explosions. He then turned and began to run toward a door at the back of the hanger, the two agents right behind him. The faster they got this mission done, the sooner they could go back to their normal lives, and Earth would be safe once more.

**XXXX**

Odin stabbed Gungnir deep into the flesh of a Chitauri, then lifted it up over his head before swing the spear, sending the alien flying to crash into a passing craft. The craft spiralled out of control and crashed into the side of a building, leaving a jagged hole in the glass and cement.

He then spun and sliced the head from the shoulders of another. He then sent a blast of energy from the tip of the spear, which collided with the outer shell of a passing Leviathan, leaving a small hole. The great beast let out a loud grunt of pain as it turned about to make another pass at the building that the King of Asgard stood upon.

Odin ran to the edge of the building, jumping up onto the raised edge before pushing off and launching himself toward the massive beast. He descended down onto the creature, Gungnir poised to strike, ready to be plunged deep into the flesh of its weilder's enemies.

Gungnir's tip sliced deep into the eye of the beast, followed by a blast of energy that tore deep into the brain of the Leviathan, causing the life to vanish from its body and the beast fell lifelessly from the sky to land, with a thunderous crash, on the street below.

The Allfather's eye darted about, seeking his next target. His gaze fell upon a second Leviathan heading away from him He called the OdinForce to his aid and took flight in pursuit of the strange beast that seemed to swin through the air as if it were in the oceans depths.

Not far away, Sif spun and twisted her way through a small horde of Chitauri that had landed near her. The twin-bladed sword in her hands was a blur and she twirled it, the razor-edged blades slicing deep into the flesh of the alien soldiers before they realized that they'd even been hit.

At her feet was a steadily growing pile of corpses. After the last Chitauri on the rooftop fell, she took a moment to catch her breath. A few stray strands of her hair, which had been tied back, now hung loosely around her head, and others were sticking to her face from the light sheen of sweat that coated her body.

An inhuman shout drew her attention. She turned to see three Chitauri craft flying her way. She readied her sword and prepared to charge back into battle. Before she could though, three figures, two of average size and one of a...larger build, blindsided the Chitauri, sending them crashing into the very building that Sif was standing on.

The Warriors Three, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg, joined her on the rooftop, Fandral and Volstagg looking happy to be in a battle at last. "Ah, the only that could make this better is if Thor were fighting with us!" Fandral said, smiling.

Volstagg nodded. "Aye!"

Sif shook her head at them and then launched herself off the rooftop, kicking a Chitauri off the back of a passing craft. She held on and crawled her way up to the pilot, whom she then threw viciously from the craft. Without the pilot, the craft began to fly downward toward the streets. Sif balanced herself on it and then jumped to the ground just before the flying machine crashed in a fiery heap. She rolled to break her fall and then came to a standing position.

She looked back up to see the Warriors Three peering over the edge of the building with bewildered expressions, except for Hogun, who was only looking slightly impressed. Sif simply shrugged and rushed off to continue the battle on the ground.

As she was running, a Chitauri shot at her from just ahead. She barely had time to dodge the blast, recieving a small burn on her arm in the process of avoiding serious damage. She stabbed her blade into the alien's stomach before slashing sideways, spilling the Chitauri's guts onto the concrete, staining it with the creature's dark blood.

She looked up at the sky, noting it's darkening purple-red hue. Night would soon be upon them and their enemy would have the advantage. She looked back down at the dead alien before continuing on at a much more cautious pace, keeping her eyes and ears open for any and all threats as she went.

**XXXX**

Loki slashed out with the Scepter, now in spear form, the blade slicing the throat of the Chitauri that he was facing off against. They were running into heavy resistance, cementing Loki's thoughts that the Other knew that they were coming. _**Then again, we didn't exactly try to hide our approach.**_

He straightened himself out and stepped forward a few feet to where the hallway forked in two directions. He looked and then right, running through the path to the engine room in his head.

Clint and Natasha stepped up next to him, having finished with the last of the Chitauri that had been waiting for them in the hall. "Which way do we go?" Natasha asked, pushing some stray hairs out of her face and back behind her ears with one hand. She then started to reload her guns after ejecting the empty clips.

Loki looked back at her then inclined his head to the left. "That's the most direct route to our objective." He turned to the right. "But, since that way will most likely be heavily guarded, the longer, less direct route may be our best bet."

Clint shook his head. "Time is of the essence. We need to get these charges set before the Chitauri do too much damage to the city."

Loki looked to Natasha, waiting for her to add her opinion. She looked back, unsure of whose side to take. She felt a strange sense of loyalty to Loki, and his plan seemed to make sense; if they had fewer enemies to face, they could get there, set the bombs, and be home-free at a much faster pace. Contrarily, if they took a different route than the one that was in the plan, they ran the risk of diverging from their path or getting lost, which would make the mission take longer.

She looked from Clint to Loki, both waiting for her to speak. She bit her lip, knowing that she was wasting time and needed to come to a decision. _**Damn it.**_ She sighed. "We shouldn't take any unneccessary risks. We have a path already planned, I think we should stick to it."

Loki turned away from her and began to walk down the hall to the left. Clint nodded to her and set off to follow the Trickster. Natasha sighed and followed as well. She felt bad for siding against Loki, but she didn't like the variables presented by deviating from the main path. Her only consolation was that she had not seen any form of negative emotion in Loki's eyes as he walked past her.

The hall took a turn after about fifty yards, taking them further into the bowels of the ship.

Clint came to a stop, his hand going to the small radio in his ear, a second later Natasha did the same, after returning one of her guns to their holster. "All teams, report in," Coulson's voice said through the radios.

"This is Barton. Team Three reporting in."

"Team One, reporting in." That was Thor's voice.

"...Team Two, we're good," Tony said.

Coulson's voice came back through. "Status report."

Tony spoke first. "We've run into a few aliens, but nothing we can't handle. Should be in the engine room in a couple of minutes."

"Copy that. Thor?"

"We are in the engine room. Just need to remember which of these buttons to press...Banner!" A moment of silence. "We are done here."

Natasha was shocked. How did they get their job done so quickly? A mental image of the Hulk tearing his way through walls like the ones that were on each side of her flashed through her head. She shrugged.

"Very good. Get out of there, so we can detonate it."

"We shall be out soon."

"Barton? What about your team?" Coulson asked.

Clint cast a glance at the other two members of his team. "We've run into some resistance, but we shouldn't be too much further from our objective."

"Good. Report in when the charge is set."

The sound of Loki's spear charging up and then firing was heard, causing the two agents to look up, curious as to what was going on. Loki unleashed another blast, leveling a second Chitauri that had been following the one that Loki had just killed.

"Copy that." Clint put his hand down, and drew and arrow from his quiver. Natasha drew her second gun again, making sure that it was cocked and ready to go, in case there were more Chitauri nearby.

Loki didn't have a radio, and so had been on the look-out while the two agents listened and reported to base. They had wasted more time. "Come, we must hurry. Night will fall soon and our forces cannot see in the dark."

"What? And the Chitauri can?" Clint asked skeptically.

Loki smirked at Barton's ignorance. "Much better than human or Asgardians can." Natasha tilted her head, waiting for Loki to continue. Clint still looked doubtful. "They come from a world vastly different from your own. Titan's atmosphere is covered by a haze that reflcts sunlight away from it; it only receives roughly one percent of the sunlight that Earth does. The darkness will be like home to them, Agent Barton, and our forces will stand little chance against them once the sun's light no longer shines upon them."

Clint frowned, but did not argue further with Loki. The Trickster turned and continued walking in the direction that they had been heading before Coulson had contacted them.

They had been walking for about five minutes, and none of them had seen any more Chitauri during that time. Natasha couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with that. Clint and Loki were on edge as well, not liking how quiet it had become.

They continued walking, despite the unnerving silence that permeated the entire area around them. Loki walked in front, facing forward, while Natasha and Clint were a few steps behind, both constantly checking behind them.

They came to a circular room filled with what looked like large, high-tech breaker boxes. There were four doors out of the room; the one behind them, that they had just come through, one directly ahead of them, that would take them to the engine room, and two more on either side of them. "We're almost there." Loki told them, cautiously looking around them. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and all of his instincts told him that danger was approaching.

All of the remaining doors opened, admitting battalions of Chitauri; another group came up behind them. Loki, Clint and Natasha fell into fighting stances, ready to defend themselves. Loki cursed under his breath; they had walked into a trap.

Natasha couldn't help thinking that this was her fault. _**If I had only chosen Loki's path, we wouldn't be in this mess now!**_ She shook her head. This was no time to feel guilty.

Clint was the first to open fire, loosing an arrow, which promptly exploded upon impact, knocking several Chitauri off their feet and killing just as many others. With the standstill broken, Natasha began to rapidly squeeze the triggers of her guns, dropping Chitauri with every shot.

Loki leveled his spear and leaped forward, crashing into the ranks of armored aliens, hard, the blade of his Spear piercing deep into the chest of one of the creatures. He yanked the blade out and spun, slicing another one's throat open, making it fall to the ground clawing at its neck while a choking gurgle escaped its mouth as its own blood drowned it. It was in this manner that he continued to fight.

Natasha, having returned her guns to their holsters, ran at the nearest Chitauri to her position. It turned to face her as she drew near, having been about to fire an energy blast at Loki. It made to fire at her, but was too late as she jumped and planted both of her feet into its chest, knocking it onto its back. She landed on her own back, but used the momentum to swing her legs and jump back to her feet. She scooped up the alien's fallen weapon and leveled it at the being's chest, before blasting a hole through it.

Clint fired arrow after arrow, using his various custom arrow-heads to wreak as much havok for the enemy as possible. Whenver one of them got too close to shoot, he would take them down with the bow itself, then stab them with an arrow.

The three were quickly making short work of the ambush party.

As Natasha broke the neck of the last Chitauri, they all let out an audible sigh of relief. Natasha dropped the Chitauri weapon that she had been using and started reloading her guns. She had just pushed the second clip into place when one of the downed Chitauri reached up, a small, blade-like weapon clutched in its hand, and stabbed down at her side. A flash of blue and a sound like rushing air reached their ears as Natasha was knocked off her feet.

She sat up to see that the Chitauri that had just tried to stab her now lay dead on the floor, one of Loki's hidden blades protruding from its throat. She let out a sigh of relief, thinking that it had been Loki's magic that had knocked her over. That thought was crushed though as Clint looked at her in horror. "That's going to be a hitch in this plan of ours," he said.

Natasha realized that he wasn't looking at her, but rather at her belt. She followed his gaze and stilled in shock. The bomb at her belt no longer emitted a blue glow, and there were pieces of broken glass hanging off of it. The bomb was broken, and useless now that it's core was empty.

She clenched her fist as she fought to control her emotions. She had just done what she had told herselft that she would never do: she had failed. In her line of work, failure meant death, and thus was not an option.

Loki stepped over to her and she looked up at him with guilt shining in her eyes. The Lord of Lies smiled softly down at her and held his hand out to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her back to her feet, unable to meet his eyes. She jumped lightly when she felt him reach out and unfasten the empty shell of the bomb from her belt and toss it aside, to be forgotten. He tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him. "Don't worry about it. We still have a chance."

Natasha glanced at the bomb that he carried and nodded, still feeling guilty, but realizing that he was right. They had a second chance. She met his eyes again and nodded a second time

Clint noticed that Loki's hand was still cupping Natasha's cheek and cleared his throat. "In case you don't remember, we have a job to do. So let's get moving."

Loki let his hand drop with a small smirk. Just as he turned around, the doors opened once more, admitting another wave of Chitauri, this one three-times the size of the previous. Natasha made to raise her guns, but Loki's hand on hers stopped her. She looked at him questioningly, but he only shook his head. She got his message loud and clear: 'They will kill us if we try to fight'. She reluctantly nodded and returned her guns to their holsters. Clint saw this and followed suit with a growl.

Three Chitauri came forward, while the rest kept their weapons trained on the three intruders. Natasha and Clint were forced to hand over their weapons to the Chitauri, while the one that went toward Loki approached with caution.

Natasha saw Loki's mouth moving as he uttered some unknown words far too quietly for them to hear. The Spear returned to its normal shape with a flash. It flashed a second time after that; Natasha did not remember it ever having done that before.

Loki held the Scepter out to the Chitauri, who took hold of it with both hands. When it tried to pull it to itself, Loki's grip did not falter, causing the Chitauri to stumble and look up at the evilly smirking face of the God of Mischief. The soldier looked back at his superior, who made a motion for him to take the Scepter. He pulled on the Scepter again, feeling the resistance of Loki's grip loosen, and then vanish completely as the Trickster let go of his weapon.

The Chitauri that took it handed it over to his superior, then pulled out his own weapon, aiming at Loki's head. The leader of the group surrounding them said something in the language of the Chitauri, and Loki and his team found themselves being herded through the left door.

Loki frowned, then let a smile grace his features. He could understand just enough of the Chitauri language to know where they were going. "Well, this should be fun."

Clint and Natasha looked at him in askance. "Where are they taking us?" Natasha asked. The image of some sort of high-tech prison cell flashed in her mind.

Loki shot a glance at the Black Widow. "To the bridge"

"What for?" Clint asked. "Why not just take us to the brig, or just do us in now?"

Loki scoffed lightly. "Because The Other is anything if not predictable. He'll want us to revel in his victory."

"What are we going to do?" Natasha asked.

Loki shook his head, appearing to be thinking. "I do not know." He cracked a small smile, his eyes lighting up with a familiar, mischievious spark, with a sprinkle of something else, something dark.

Clint looked at Loki with a bit of worry. He didn't like the way Loki was smiling; it promised pain and spoke of suffering, hinting at destruction. He didn't like it one bit. "I hope you know what you're doing," the archer muttered. He really did hope that Loki had a plan.

Loki only continued to smile as the Chitauri led them deeper into the belly of the massive ship.

**XXXX**

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**A/N: I believe I shall try to continue this. It is painful to see it left incomplete like this...**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	19. For Victory or Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, I was so happy to see that my return was welcomed, even after so long...it is truly heartwarming. Thank you. Alright, part two of the Battle of New York. This chapter was a bit difficult to write, as I try to get back into the swing of things... I feel so rusty... I hope it isn't too horrible and I hope you all enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XIX: The Battle of New York: For Victory or Death**

**'It's hard to say that I'm back on a straight line. You'll see, my path is in fact just a fault line. It's in my blood, it's in my lungs, and it won't die. I fight these words, I bite my tongue, so I won't lie. Though it's me to blame, there is no more shame in me, in me. I just feel the same, immune to all this pain. And the scars don't write a song for me at all. I am a stone, unaffected, rain hell down onto me. Flesh and bone, unaffected, your fool, I will not be.'**

**-I Am a Stone by Demon Hunter.**

Their footsteps echoed off the metallic walls of the interior of the massive spacecraft as they were led toward their destination. Loki could only assume that they were being taken to the bridge of the ship, where the Other would be waiting for them. In his mind, he played out every scenerio of the encounter, each worse than the last; they either ended with him dying, Natasha dying or Clint dying, or all of them dying.

He mentally shook his head, trying to will the negative thoughts away. He had to think clearly and come up with a plan of action that saw all of them safely out of this mess and the mission to be completed.

He could sense Natasha sending worried glances his way every few seconds, but he forced himself to ignore them and focus on the task at hand. He could also sense that Clint was worried as well, but was hiding it well, he ignored this as well. He cast his gaze around, taking note of all of the Chitauri that surrounded them, noting also the positions of those that were carrying their weapons. The one carrying his staff was at the front of the procession, while the one that held Clint's bow was to their far left. The closest was Natasha's pistols, only a few steps ahead of him. He knew he could easily reach forward and snap the unsuspecting alien's neck and take the weapons back before any of the others had realized that he had moved, but as soon as his attack was noticed, it would be curtain call for the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at his sides. The Chitauri would mow them down mercilessly with their rifle-like weapons.

He was prevented from thinking further as they passed through a set of double doors that slid open at their approach. The room they had entered was circular, much like the one that they had previously been in, but the scale was much greater. All along the walls were large glowing screens and other machinary. In the center of the room was a large flat table that held a hologram of the entirety of New York City, with the Chitauri fleet hovering above it and hundreds of little craft darting about between the buildings. Every now and then one of these crafts would blink from existance, showing that it had been destroyed. The Earthian forces were also showed on the hologram, their positions provided by the visual devices built into the Chitauri battle helms; if they were not within the line-of-sight of one of the Chitauri, they would vanish from the display.

Next to this table stood the Other, his back to them as he watched the progress of the battle. He did not turn at their entrance, merely continued his vigil, ignoring them completely; or so he would have them believe. Loki knew better. The Other was anything if not predictable. He would seek to put them off their guard and hope to raise their hackles by pretending that they were not worth his time. Loki smirked, he was not fooled.

After a few short moments, the Chitauri in charge of their group became impatient and stepped forward to stand next to his commander, clearly not seeing that he did not wish to be disturbed. He spoke to him in the gutteral language of the Chitauri and motioned back at the three captured infiltraters. The Other listened, his grip on the edge of the table tightening as the Chitauri continued to speak.

Natasha and Clint shifted on their feet, on edge as the atmosphere of the room seemed to grow more tense. Loki continued to smirk, unaffected by the change in the air.

The Chitauri stopped talking, waiting for his commander to respond. The Other held out his hand and the Chitauri placed the Scepter in his open palm. The next second, the Chitauri had been struck to the ground by a vicious blow from the Other, who glared down at the now-bleeding alien. Around him, Loki heard the other Chitauri chitter and mumble in fear and nervousness, seeing their unit captain savaged by their commander. A second blow rung out through the room as the Other lashed out again.

Two more blows were dealt before the vicious assault came to a halt. The Other reached down and grasped the broken Chitauri by his throat and lifted him up to meet his eyes. He growled something in the Chitauri language before increasing his grip and giving his wrist a sharp twist. A sickening snap echoed off the walls and the alien fell limply from the Other's hand, its body landing in a lifeless heap at his feet.

Clint looked on in disgust, not bothering to hide his displeasure. Natasha fought to keep her face impassive, though she too was revolted by the unwarranted show of brutality. Loki's expression had not changed, and his eyes had not strayed from his adversary. The Other turned to them and grinned, seeming pleased by the revulsion he saw in the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

He met Loki's eyes and his grin grew wider. "I told you, did I not, 'we will find you'. But, I must say, I expected more from you, Odinson." He chuckled when Loki flinched slightly at that name. "You walked right into our hands. I confess, I am disappointed."

Loki gave an amused laugh. "Do not be, this is far from over."

The Other nodded. "Indeed. The invasion has only just begun. Pity you were taken so early."

"You speak as though I were already beaten," Loki chastised.

"Aren't you? You are unarmed, outmanned and defeated. Anything else is but a formality," the Other countered.

Loki shook his head. "I am never unarmed. Even bound, gagged and unconscious I not helpless." Clint and Natasha cast inquisitive glances to him, but he did not meet their eyes. "You cannot kill me."

The Other waved his free hand, the one that was not holding the Scepter, as though to brush aside Loki's words. "We shall see." He lifted the Scepter and aimed it at Loki's chest. The Chitauri surrounding him, Clint and Natasha skittered back from the weapon. A bright flash emitted from the Scepter and pulsed before blasting its way at the God of Mischief.

Loki smiled as the blast engulfed him.

Clint had managed to drag Natasha away from Loki and the Other, not daring to let her enter the ensuing fray between the two otherworldly beings.

The light dimmed and died down to reveal a cruelly smiling Other and an amused Loki. The smile slipped from the Other's face as he obversed Loki's unharmed state. Loki lifted his hand out in front of him and a second Scepter materialized in his grasp. "I may have forgotten to mention that that scepter is defective."

The Other growled and opened his mouth to speak, but his words were halted when Loki returned the favor for the previous attack by unleashing a devistating blast from the Scepter in his hands.

The blast tore through part of the holo-table , causing sections to go blank. The Other regained his feet from where he had dove to avoid being blown away. He looked down at the scepter in his hand cast it away in disgust. "A convincing illusion, Trickster. But your tricks and games won't save you this time." He raised his hand and every Chitauri in the room trained their weapons on Loki.

**XXXX**

Natasha shook off the grip that Clint had on her arm and began to creep forward with all of the grace and stealth of a cat, or a spider, her sights set on the pair of pistols that lay forgotten on the floor. The Chitauri that had taken them had dropped them in order to lift its rifle at Loki on the Other's command. _**If I can just get to them...**_

Clint realized her intentions and followed suit, making his way quietly to his fallen bow and quiver.

Natasha dropped down until she was crawling on all fours amounst the unsuspecting alien soldiers. Faintly, she could hear the Other and Loki conversing, but the words were lost on her, her mind so focused on her task that all else was a blur.

_**Just a few more feet...**_

She pitched forward into a roll, coming back to her crouched position with the hilts of her guns under her fingers. A sense of triumph welled up in her breast as her fingers closed over the handles, the cold metal comforting in her grip. She quickly checked the clips and nodded in satisfaction to find that they were still loaded, and untampered with.

She chambered the cartridges of both guns and prepared to move. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Clint knocking an arrow on his bow and taking aim. He looked in her direction and nodded. She nodded back.

All hell broke loose.

**XXXX**

Thor landed amidst a group of enemies on the streets of New York, not far from S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. He gripped Mjolnir in his fist, then switched his grip from the handle to the leather loop fastened to the end. He began to twirl the hammer rapidly, then spun in a circle, lashing out with the violently spinning weapon in his hand as he did so.

The Chitauri that had been surrounding him were thrown back, their bodies broken by the sheer force of the blows dealt to them by Thor's mighty hammer.

A loud roar echoed off the buildings as the Hulk came crashing in after him, his massive fists crushing Chitauri wherever he saw them. Overhead, a small group of the Chitauri flying crafts were heading in their direction.

Thor lifted Mjolnir over his head and lightning arched down from the heavens at his beckoning. He let out a shout as he unleashed the lightning on the approaching enemies. The dustructive force of nature struck the Chitauri, frying them and their craft instantly, leaving behind blackened chunks of twisted metal and the smell of ozone.

Hulk huffed and began to revert back into Banner's human form. The new suit that he had been wearing shrunk down with him. Banner looked down at the suit and cocked his head in a 'whataya know" manner.

They wasted little time in hurrying into HQ and to the control room. Fury was standing in center of the room with a still-armored Tony and Steve. Thor approached them, noting the absence of Loki and his team. "Has my brother not returned?" he asked immediately.

Tony shook his head. "No. We lost radio contact with them a short while ago." He tapped a few buttons of the display that they had been viewing and it shifted to show a hologram of the city, with the Chitauri ships positioned above it. Two of the three ships were highlighted in red. "Every now and then he get short snippets of noise, garbled and full of static. Nothing to tell us what is going on."

Fury gestured to a screen at his side. "Their bombs are still inactive, meaning that they have not armed them yet. The chips we placed on them monitor the condition of each bomb. One of their has been rendered unusable. If the other goes offline, we will have to change tactics." He looked at Tony, then to the others. "Sitting around here is useless. I want you all back out on the streets, taking the fight to these bastards. We will keep you updated on the situation. keep your radio's tuned to our secure frequency, if any of Loki's team attempt contact, I want everyone available."

The Avengers present nodded and left the room, each wearing expressions of worry and determination.

**XXXX**

The twang of a bowstring being released, followed by a soft thump as the arrow pierced the flesh of its target. An explosion rocked the floor beneath their feet and gunshots rang out in rapid succession.

Loki leaped into action, his Scepter shifting into a spear in mid-air. He slashed down at the Other, who was just able to evade the attack and counter with a strike of his hand, Loki deftly avoided the powerful blow and jabbed the blunt end of the Spear into the Other's midsection, causing him to stumble back with a groan.

He growled and lifted his hand, the black nails growing into wicked, sharp claws. He let out a snarl as he struck back, the razor-like claws seeking to tear Loki to pieces. Loki spun to avoid the assault, but felt the claws cut into his arm as the danced out of reach.

The other tilted his head as he looked at the place he had grazed Loki. "So, it seems that even a _god_ canbleed."

Loki followed his eyes to the shallow wound, seeing a thin trickle of blood seeping from beneath the broken flesh. He curled his lips into a sneer and built power into his Spear, then unleashed it in a second blast that destroyed many of the strange devices that lined the walls. The Other had managed to sidestep the blast and charged right at the Trickster.

He swung out with his hand, the claws collideing with the cool metal of Loki's Spear. The two superhuman beings stared each other in the eyes and each tried to gain the upper hand in the battle.

Behind him, Loki could hear Clint and Natasha making short work of the Chitauri that had been in the room with them. he could hear them shouting out at each other as they coordinated their attacks, their previous history of teamwork shining through as they fell into their tried and true routines of combat.

Loki did not have long to ponder this however, as the Other took hold of the Spear and wrenched it aside, swiping at the Trickster's exposed chest in the process. Loki felt a dull sting across his chest and glanced down. The front of his Asgardian clothing was torn open, revealing five thin, long gashes across his fair skin. He gasped when he felt a pulsing sting in each wound on his chest, as well as those on his arm.

The Other ripped the Spear from his grasp and struck him with it, sending him onto his back. He planted his foot on Loki's chest, directly over the wounds and ground his boot into the already injured flesh. Loki bit back a cry as pain erupted across his chest. "Can you feel it, Odinson? The poison burning through your veins? Don't worry, it won't kill you. It just hurts like _hell_!" He stomped down on Loki's chest as he spat the last word. He placed the tip of the Spear to Loki's throat. "Puny and weak," he muttered disdainfully, preparing to end the Trickster's life. He lifted the Spear to strike.

A gunshot rang out and the Other stumbled backward from the impact of the bullet. Natasha unloaded three more rounds into the alien being, giving Loki time to grab the Spear and kick the Other off of him.

He sprung to his feet and renewed his assault, the pain from his wounds slowing him down measurably.

He swung the Spear in a wide, horizontal arch in front of him, forcing the Other to retreat back several steps. He followed through by gathering energy into his hand in the form of four small daggers and threw them with deadly accuracy at his foe. The Other swung his own arm and batted the daggers from the air, they disipated harmlessly upon contact. He immediately had to dodge to the side as Loki followed those up with a flurry of real, solid daggers that were hidden in the sleeves of his tunic.

Loki leveled the Spear at the Other and lunged forward, aiming to impale the alien commander on the length of the Spear. The Other met the attack, twisting the spear so that it was pointed away from him and gripped it, trying to force the tip around to face Loki.

The two grappled back and forth, each striking out with elbows, knees and feet, in attempts to disrupt the other's center of balance.

Loki let out at cry of pain and buckled to his knees as his wounds pulsed again. The Other took advantage of this and drove the tip of the Spear into Loki's shoulder and will his power into it. Loki's eyes widened as he felt the tip of the Spear grow hot and a blue glow escaped through the skin and blood. Faintly he heard someone scream his name, then his world erupted in a flash of light and blinding pain tore through his upper body. He heard a second scream, followed by laughter.

**XXXX**

Natasha screamed as the blade of the Spear was plunged deep into Loki's body. She made to run to him, but came to a sudden painful halt as someone grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back.

She struggled violently, viciously striking out with her fists and elbows, trying in vain to loosen the hold the person had on her. She gave a desperate cry when the grip showed no signs of weakening.

She froze when she saw the spearhead begin to glow faintly, the blue light getting steadily brighter. Loki's face contorted in agony as the glow became near blinding, then, as if in slow motion, the light exploded and Loki was thrown back, his form crashing violently into the wall. He then fell to the ground, where he lay unmoving, lifeless.

Faintly, Natasha could hear someone screaming. It was only when she felt pain in her throat that she realized that the person screaming was her. She fell silent, her teeth biting down hard on her tongue as she fought to keep the tears she felt welling up behind her eyes at bay as her surroundings came rushing back into focus..

Laughter filled the air and Natasha glared venomously at the Other, her fingers itching on the triggers of her guns. If only Clint would let her go.

The Other turned to face the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, still chuckling. He said nothing, only grinned maliciously as he aimed the Scepter at them and poured his power into it. The tip glowed blue once more. He curled up his lips in a cruel snarl. "Pitiful humans."

Natasha felt rage build up in her at his words, her teeth clenching painfully as she ground them.

Clint shoved Natasha away and to the side as he drew an arrow from his quiver and knocked, his arm a blur. Clint and the Other stared at each other, both silently daring for the other to make the first move.

Time seemed to slow down once more as Natasha looked between the two. She bit her lip nervously and began to reload her guns as quickly as she could manage in her worry-stricken state; her hands were shaking, making the familiar movements difficult. She finally lined the second clip up correctly and slammed it into place, then chambered the first cartridge. She took careful aim at the Other's head with one gun, returning the second to its holster, then placing her now-free hand on the gun she had aimed, trying to help steady her aim.

She could see Clint's hand adjusting to release his arrow and her finger began to lightly squeeze the trigger of her pistol. The Other tensed his arm, preparing for the kick-back of the blast he was about to fire.

Natasha chanced a quick glance to where Loki had fallen, hoping that he wasn't too badly injured. She swallowed thickly, seeing him still laying on the ground, his pale skin marred by energy burns and his body unmoving. She silently prayed that he wasn't dead, as he appeared to be.

A loud snap was heard, followed by a muted curse. Natasha flicked her eyes back to Clint, to find him staring at his bow in shocked fear. it took her a moment, but she soon realized why: the bowstring had snapped. Her eyes widened as the glow of the Spear became near blinding. A loud cackle escaped from the Other's lips. The great ball of energy sped toward Clint, who stood frozen in place, staring into the ball of light that flew directly at him. Natasha could not close her eyes, nor could she move, and her mind was numb with fear.

A blur of black crashed into Clint from the side, tossing him out of harm's way and then spun out of the way of the blast.

The energy blast detonated against the wall, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and debris, obscuring her vision. The floor trembled slightly under her feet and her mind snapped back to action as she ran to Clint, who had climbed back to his feet and was looking to where he had previously been standing in confusion. Natasha followed his eyes and squinted, trying discern what Clint was trying to see.

Amidst the dust, she could just make out a tall, lean silhouette, standing among the fallen pieces of machinary that had been destroyed by the Other's attack. She glanced over to where Loki had been laying, just in time to see his body dissolve into nothingness, leaving behind no trace or sign that it had ever been there at all.

**XXXX**

Loki let the rest of his daggers fall into his hand, and braced his legs in preparation to leap forward as soon as the dust settled enough for him to see his quarry. He turned his head and let out a sigh when he spied Natasha and and unarmed Clint standing off to the side, out of the way. He turned back to where he had last seen the Other and waited.

_**I'll only get one shot at this.**_

After an achingly long moment, his eyes landed on the faint outline of the alien commander and moved. He rolled to the side, leaving a clone of himself in his place, as he had done previously and began to move silently around to behind his foe.

Finally the dust settled and the Other stood glaring at his clone. Loki looked passed the Other, to Natasha, locking eyes with her. He gave her a nod, hoping that she understood what he wanted her to do. He waited until she nodded back, her hand gripping her gun anxiously. He crouched, then extended his legs as he jumped, high into the air. A gunshot rang out through the room as Natasha opened fire on the Other, taking him off guard. Loki adjusted his hold on his daggers and let them fly, the four blades slicing through the air without a sound. He landed and tucked into a roll just a moment before the blades found their mark, burying themselves into the flesh at the back of the Other's neck.

He came back to his feet at the end of his roll and dashed forward, forming an energy dagger in his hand as he ran. The Other, hearing his rapid footsteps, turned to face him, his eyes widening when they fell on the approaching Trickster. Loki slashed out with his dagger, the blade of pure green energy catching the Other across the throat.

The Other stood still in shock as blood began to seep out passed the cauterized skin where Loki's dagger had cut him. The heat of the energy was enough to stem some of the blood-flow but had passed through too quickly for it to completely cauterize the wound. The Other coughed as he began to choke on his own blood and fell to his knees, his hands clutching at his throat, desperately trying to keep his vital lifeblood from spilling out onto the floor. It was a vain attempt. His eyes met Loki's, disbelief shining out from the depths of those dark orbs. Loki smirked back him, watching the light _slowly_ fade from the Other's eyes as his life bled away.

A metallic click pierced the silence and Loki turned to Natasha, who was walking forward with her newly loaded gun in her hand and a determined look set upon her lovely features. Loki was in slight awe at the deadly beauty before him. he watched her as she came to a stop beside the Other and placed the barrel of her gun against the side of the Other's head. "Not so pitiful now, are we?"

The Other looked up at her, unable to speak. Her face stayed the same, her expression still deadly calm. She did not blink as her finger pulled the trigger, and the Other's brains exploded out the opposite side of his head in a spray of blood and skull fragments. Natasha looked down at the bloody mess disdainfully and returned her gun to its holster.

Loki slowly approached her, letting the dagger in his hand dissipate. She looked up at him, and Loki could see that she was barely maintaining control over her emotions. He put his hand on her arm and drew her to him, gently embracing her. he felt her hands grip the front of his coat tightly and he leaned down and planted a soft kiss in her hair. He looked her her head at Clint, who was noticably looking away from them, paying too much attention to his bow as he attached a new string to replace the broken one. With that task done, the archer cleared his throat and spoke, his voice louder than it needed to be. "We should get moving. We've lost a lot of time."

Loki reluctantly lowered his arms from around Natasha and she stepped back from him, quickly smothering a disappointed expression; though she wasn't quick enough to hide it from Loki.

Loki's hand ventured to the bomb that was still attached to his belt. he unfastened it and lifted it up in front of him. He smiled, seeing the blue glow still emitting from within its shell. Natasha and Clint looked at it as well, both relieved to see that it had not been damaged during the battle. He nodded to them, and they turned to set off back the way they had come, neither seeing Loki's expression fall.

He returned the bomb to his belt with a small frown.

**XXXX**

Fury frowned as he peered at the screen displaying the status of each bomb. It showed six bombs, four of them were highlighted in green with a tag reading 'ARMED', while one was dark and the other was normal.

He looked over at Coulson, who was watching the holo-display, outwardly calm, but his fists closed in agitation.

Fury knew that he was worried that this mission would fail. He knew, because he was afraid of the same thing.

He turned his eye back to the screen and blinked. He felt dread sieze him as he watched the final bomb go dark. This either meant that the bomb had been broken, or that the remote detonator had been damaged as could no longer transmit its signal. He let out a sigh and reached up to his earpiece he was wearing. "Stark. Bring everyone back. We need to discuss a new plan of action for taking down the flagship."

"They failed?" came Tony's alarmed reply.

Fury nodded, knowing that Tony could not see him. "Yes."

"Have they made contact?"

"No."

There was silence for a moment. "We be there momentarily."

Fury nodded again and lowered his hand. His mind ran through possible scenarios that could explain why none of Loki's team had contacted them, and why their bombs were offline. None of the possibilities were good. He briefly considered that they had been betrayed, that Loki had turned and sabotaged the mission, but discarded that idea immediately. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that he could trust Loki, despite the atrocities he had comitted in the past.

He looked down at the display sadly, hoping that the situation could still be salvaged, and that his two best field agents, and Loki, would make it out alive. He was not heartless, or uncaring, in fact, he cared deeply for all of his agents, and he was not sure if he could bear it if they were to die.

He stood in silent, deep thought, and so did not notice when Tony and the rest of the Avengers entered the control room, each wearing expressions of worry and confusion. Tony's eyes went straight to the display of the bombs, and he felt his heart sink when he saw the two darkened images. "Still no contact?" he asked.

Nick disguised his surprise well and turned to face them. "None."

Tony sighed. "I've tried raising them on my own radio, but all that came through was static. I know that they are not out of range, and they don't have their radios off. Something must be interfering with their signal." He went to the holo-display and studied it. "JARVIS, show us the last known location of Loki's team before going out of contact." Three small red dots appeared within the flagship. "Take us in." The flagship enlarged and became trasparant, showing the layout of the interior. "Show us the engine room in conjuction to their location." The engine room, near the rear of the ship highlighted in blue. It appeared that they were moving away from it. "Show us their location just before the first bomb went offline." The dots moved more to the middle of the ship, just a short distance from their target location. To Tony, it appeared that they had taken a longer route than was necessary.

Banner was studying the display as well. He had his glassed on and appeared to be thinking. After a moment, he took off his glasses and used them to point at the display. "Why, when they were so close, did they suddenly change direction and move away from the engine room?" he wondered aloud.

"Perhaps, something went wrong," Thor spoke up, "and they were forced to find and alternate path."

Tony nodded. "That's possible..." He trailed off.

Steve spoke up, his voice reluctant. "Or...maybe..."

He was cut off my a blare of static coming from the speakers that Tony had just linked to the radios. "JARVIS, can you clean up the audio?" The static lessened a bit, but there was still nothing beyond that. "Now, all we can do is wait."

"Shouldn't we be coming up with a plan?" Steve asked/

**XXXX**

They quickly retraced their steps back to the room where they been before they were caught. The bodies of the fallen Chitauri still littered the floor, as did the broken bomb shell that Loki had tossed aside. "Which way?" Clint asked, looking at the three doors, ignoring the one they had just come through.

Loki stepped up to one of the doors. "I go this way," he said, then he pointed to the door opposite the one he was facing, the one that led back to the hanger. "You two go that way."

Natasha looked between to the two, confused. "We shouldn't split up, Loki."

Loki shook his head, not meeting her eyes, not daring to. "We must part ways, now."

Natasha walked over to stand in front of him. "Why?" She demanded in a serious tone, though Loki could hear a hint of fear in her voice. He swallowed, unsure of how to answer.

Before he could come up with a suitable explanation, Clint had joined the conversation. "It's the bomb, isn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Natasha, who had turned to look at Clint as he spoke, turned back to Loki, sharply, her eyes beseeching. Loki could not meet her gaze. "Loki...?"

He could only nod.

Natasha's face changed into a look of horror. She felt her blood go cold and her heart began to hammer in her chest. "W-what do y-you mean?"

Loki sighed. "The transmitter is broken. It must have happened some time during our fight with the Other." He met her eyes. "One of us will have to detonate it manually." He winced when he saw her connect the pieces in her mind, seeing the the swirling cyclone of changing emotions in her eyes; first confusion, then fear, then anger, then denial, then confusion again, and then back to anger.

She leveled a hard glare at him. "No." Just the one word, as if she could will him to change his mind with that single syllable. He smiled sadly and tears welled up in her eyes. She was unable to contain them this time and they fell, trailing down her cheeks like raindrops on a window. She sniffed, then cleared her throat. "Why does it have to be you?"

Loki looked away, and to Clint, knowing that her words could be taken to mean that she would prefer if it were him that stayed behind. The archer met his eyes. They both knew that that was not what she meant. He looked back down at the distraught woman in front of him. "Because, I am the only one that has any chance of surviving the blast."

She sniffed again, wiping away the tears on her face while nodding. She had already assumed as much. She looked up at him and tried to smile. The image was marred by the fresh tears making their way down her face. She nodded and turned to leave, Clint doing the same.

Loki saw her turn and felt something constrict inside him. There was a chance that he could die when this bomb went off, and he knew that there were words, too many words, left unsaid between himself and the red-haired beauty.

Acting purely on instinct, he reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back to face him. There was a flicker of confusion in her eyes as he stepped forward, drawing her body to his. She opened her mouth to speak but her words to cut off when he gently, yet fiercly, pressed his lips to hers.

Natasha's eyes widened momentarily before slipping closed as she succumbed to Loki's kiss, her arms going up and around his neck as she desperately returned it. Loki's own arms encircled her, pulling her as close as he could without hurting her as his lips moved against hers.

That moment, though short, felt like an eternity to them, and for them both, eternity was no where near long enough. They parted reluctantly when oxygen became an issue. Loki kissed her once more and reached up to wipe away the few remaining tears that stained her face. He gave a small, but genuine, smile and stepped back, his arms slowly dropping to his sides once more.

"Please, be safe, and come back. Please, Loki." Natasha whispered imploringly.

Loki leaned forward and touched his lips to the top of her head, then lowered his head so that his mouth was next to her ear. "I promise, Natasha." He felt a small shiver pass through her and pulled back with a smile still on his face.

Natasha returned the smile as best as she could and turned away, walking to where Hawkeye was waiting, pretending to not have seen what just transpired between his teammate and long time friend and the God of Mischief. He nodded to Loki, then exited the room. Natasha followed, stopping just beyond the door and looking back. She looked as though she were contemplating running back to him, but Loki silently willed her to get out while she had time. Before she could move, the doors closed between them, blocking them from each other's view.

Loki released a heavy sigh and turned to the door that would lead him to the engine room. He stepped forward and the door slid open. It was a short walk to the engine room, but, for Loki, each step felt like forever.

**XXXX**

Natasha and Clint were running, taking turns at top speed. Clint had his hand to his ear, trying to contact HQ on his radio, but they were only getting static. They rounded a corner and found themselves in the hanger, finding the Quinjet exactly where they had left it.

They increased their speed, ignoring the few remaining Chitauri that were in the hanger. Clint ran up the loading ramp and made directly for the pilot's chair. He strapped himself in while Natasha closed the ramp before the Chitauri had a chance to stop them. She then dropped into the co-pilot's seat. She strapped herself in as well, absently wiping her eyes to clear away any remaining tears that may have still been there.

It had been the hardest thing she had ever done in her life, leaving his arms. She had nearly run back to him, but the door closed and Clint had called out to her, urging her to hurry up so that they could escape. She felt horrible, leaving Loki behind like that, even if it had been his choice. _**And that kiss only made it harder to leave...**_ She could still feel his lips on hers, strangely sweet and gentle, yet with a fierce desperation and hunger; her mind had gone blank, then all of her senses came back heightened, and she found herself returning the kiss with equal ferver.

She absently touched her lips, then shook her head. She had to focus. She began flipping switches and pressing buttons while Clint took the controls, lifting the Quinjet into the air. He engaged the thrusters and they sped out of the hanger and into the open air. The second they cleared the hanger, their com system flared to life and they were immediately hailed by HQ. "Barton, Romanoff, Loki! Are you guys alright? What happened?" It was Tony's voice.

Barton answered. "I'm not sure, something jammed our signal halfway in." He sighed. "Natasha and I are alright."

There was silence for a moment. "And what about Loki?"

Clint glanced at Natasha, who did not meet his gaze and remained silent. Clint sighed. "We had to leave him behind."

"Why?" Tony did not sound happy.

"Our last bomb was damaged. He volunteered to stay behind and detonate it himself." Natasha closed her eyes and bit her lip after hearing Clint's words. "He insisted."

More silence. "Alright. Return to HQ immediately. Let us know when you are clear of the blast-radius."

Clint checked their location on the radar. "We're clear."

A short moment after he said this, two massive explosions occured, the shockwave creating a bit of turbulance for their small craft. Clint adjusted their course and looked out the windows, seeing two of the massive starships falling from the sky in a fiery blaze. A second later, the third and final ship joined them.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another down. I hope it was up to my usual standards, as I was not sure that this one was very good. Don't worry, this isn't the end, still a bit to go. Let me know what you all thought. Review, but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**

**P.S.: Please point out any mistakes if you notice any.**


	20. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed the previous chapter, your support means a lot. Here's a new chapter. The aftermath of the battle. There is a character in this chapter that will be of importance later, he is NOT an OC. Also note, the song below is not the best for the chapter, but I felt that it was purely Loki, it always makes me think of him at the end of the 'Thor' movie. Give it a listen. Anyway, on the the story. Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XX: The Battle of New York: The Aftermath**

**'Another star has fallen without a sound. Another spark has burned out in the cold. Another door to the barren standing open. And who is there to tell me not to give in, not to go? How could I know, How could I know? That I'll get lost in space to roam forever. How could I know, How could I see? Feeling like lost in space to roam forever.'**

**Lost in Space by Avantasia.**

The whir of helicopter blades echoed off the streets and skyscrapers like a dull, droning cry that was heard to even the farthest reaches of the cityscape. Bruce Banner looked up as one of the loud machines passed overhead, blindingly bright searchlights scanning back and forth across the streets below. Down on the ground, where he was, there were dozens of search parties, all lead by S.H.I.E.L.D. and equipped with various devices that were being used to search for anything and anyone living in the sparse rubble and wreckage.

There was surprisingly less damage done to the city during this invasion, despite the increased numbers of Chitauri that had participated in the assault. Many Asgardians had fallen, and many more had been wounded. Bruce had been placed on one of the teams that was to look for any wounded or dead Asgardians on the streets.

So far, they had found three injured, and seventeen dead warriors. The wounded were evacuated to Stark Tower for healing, while the dead were gathered in rows upon the street outside S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, waiting to be cleaned and honored by their comrades. The pyres would then be built and then burned. Bruce didn't quite understand the funeral practices of the Asgardians, only that they cremated their dead, which Thor had said was so that, in an instant, the dead could be in paradice.

He glanced back up at the chopper and sighed. He'd have much prefered to be with Thor, Clint and Natasha, searching the wreckage of the still burning starships for any trace of Loki, but he knew that Fury needed him out on the streets; the Director hadn't even wanted to let Clint and Natasha out there, planning to leave the search for the Asgardian Prince to Thor and the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, but Natasha had been steadfast in her determination to find the Trickster, and Clint felt duty-bound to search for the third member of his strike team, and Bruce also suspected that he was insisting to go because Natasha was.

Bruce shook his head and continued walking the path that he had been on. He looked down at the device in his hand, which was designed to looked through walls and other solid objects and detect heat signatures. He frowned, seeing nothing on the screen except cool blue. He was about to move on when he heard a faint thumping sound. He turned in a slow circle, his eyes flicking from his surroundings to the screen. As he turned toward a medium-sized pile of fallen concrete, he caught a blip of heat on the screen.

Slowly he approached the rubble and adjusted the settings on the device until the orange and red form of a living being appeared on the screen under the slabs of cement. It was human in shape, and male, judging by the size. It appeared to be beating at the cement trapping it, trying to escape.

Bruce called out to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that where nearby and handed the device to one of them, preparing to transform. "There's a man trapped under here. I'm going to lift the debris away, call in the med-evac." The agent nodded and pulled out a radio, setting the frequency and speaking into it clearly.

Bruce felt his body grow as he transformed, the muscels expanding painfully and the bones undergoing a rapid growth and hardening. He snarled against the pain and waited for it to subside, which it did near-instantly at the end of the transformation, before taking hold of the slabs of concrete in his massive hands and lifting them away. He moved three more pieces before the man was revealed to them.

He let his body change back, going into doctor mode almost effortlessly. He studied the man, who was awake, but seemed to be severly exhausted. He looked at the man's hands, remembering that he had been punching concrete, and found them bloodied. His eyes flicked to the last slab of cement that he had pulled away, seeing large chunks of it missing from where he had been hitting it. He looked back at the Asgardian, for that was what he must be, and studied him further. Short brown hair, blue eyes, and rather modest looking Asgardian clothing, compared to Odin and Thor's.

"Sir, can you hear me?" He asked.

The man nodded, grunting in pain as he did so. Bruce noticed that the man had a hand clasped against his side, where his clothing was stained with blood. "What is your name?"

The man looked up at him with a glare and remained silent. After a moment he relaxed, the pain seemingly receding. "Johann," he bit out, his voice raw, but still deep and cultured.

Bruce nodded. "Alright, Johann, we'll get you out of here in a moment, the medical unit is on its way." Johann nodded his undrestanding. "What happened? What caused your wound?"

"It's just a cut, long, but shallow...nothing to be overly concerned with. Damned beasts... rammed me with one of their craft...I fell down here...then part of the building came down on me..." he trailed off in pain once more. "I'll be fine soon enough..."

At that moment, the med-evac arrived, the large white helicopter landing just down the street in the intersection where there was more room. Johann was loaded up into the chopper and it flew back the way it came. Bruce watched it go for a moment before turning back to his team. He took his device back and set off to continue the search for survivers.

**XXXX**

Natasha peered down at the flame-wreathed wreckage of the Chitauri ships, her eyes trained to the center ship as she silently prayed that Loki had somehow survived the detonation and the subsequent crash into the earth that had left the ship nothing more than a burning, twisted skeleton.

Pieces of the hull dotted the landscape, marking out their seach grid. She maneuvered her spotlight about, her movements slow and steady, belying the desperation and worry that was eating at her from the inside.

They had orchestrated the search in record time, calling in assistance from the military, who had been on standby, in case they were needed to help combat the Chitauri. Their helicopters were now combing the city, along with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own choppers and Quinjets, in search of surviving Asgardians and any stray civilians that may have gotten caught up in the frey, though that was doubtful, given that they had all been evacuated beforehand.

"Can you take us in closer?" Natasha asked the pilot. It was hard to see what was on the ground clearly from their current altitude.

"Sorry, ma'am. Director Fury has given very specific orders. We are not to land unless we spot movement. He doesn't want anyone attempting to navigate the wreckage until daylight," the pilot told her.

She sighed, suddenly feeling tired. Immediately after landing, she had gone to the control room, where Fury was already setting up the search grids and assigning teams. She had immediately volunteered to head the search for Loki, with Clint following right behind her. Fury had initially refused their request, saying that Thor and his family and friends were more than enough to hunt for the missing Prince. She had not backed down, knowing that if she were anywhere else, she would be too busy worrying about Loki to be of any use to anyone. She wanted to help find him. She _needed_ to find him. There was no way that she was letting that moment before the doors closed between them be the last time she saw him. She was not going to let their relationship, whatever its nature, end this way.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of Clint's voice, yelling over the sound of the chopper blades and rushing wind. "We should return to base. We've been over this area three times already."

Natasha turned to him, disbelief clear on her face. It quickly changed to denial. "No! He's down there somewhere. I know he is."

Clint shook his head. "If he is, we won't be able to find him in the dark like this. We can continue in the morning."

Natasha shook her head. "No."

Clint sighed in frustration. "Natasha, if he's down there, he isn't going anywhere. There's nothing more we-"

"I'm not leaving him!" Natasha shouted vehemently, her eyes ablaze with anger. Clint also thought he saw a hint of fear there as well.

"Natasha," Clint said, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice, "you're exhausted. We both are. There's nothing more we can do tonight. We need to head back to base and regroup, get some rest, then start fresh in the morning." She still didn't seem to want to budge. "We'll do Loki no good if we wear ourselves out. If we're too tired, we'll make mistakes. Mistakes are not an option."

She looked away from him, knowing that what he was saying was true. But she didn't want to stop searching. Her head told her to agree and get some sleep; that she would be able to search more extensively in the daylight, when she wouldn't be confined to the air alone. Her heart, on the other hand, told her not to stop searching until she had found him, until she could see him, hear him and touch him. Her heart told her not to stop until she _knew_, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was safe, that he was alive, that she wasn't alone again.

Despite that her heart's argument was stronger, she willed herself to nod her head, giving Clint her consent to halt the search for the night. She swallowed thickly, feeling even more tired than before. She did not speak as the pilot turned the chopper about and began to fly them back to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. She was afraid that if she did speak, she would not be able to hide her emotions, leaving her feeling clear for everyone to see. She didn't need her emotions clouding her judgement, that led to mistakes. Mistakes were not an option, as Clint had said. Even with this thought though, leaving the search like this felt like betrayal. It felt like giving up. She looked back at the wreckage of the _Space Throne_ and clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw a few drops of blood. She let out a breath, silently praying that Loki was okay, and promising him, and herself, that she would be back once the sun had risen, and that she would not give up her search until she had proof that he was gone.

**XXXX**

Thor grunted lightly as he ripped a piece of the _Space Throne_'s broken hull away and tossed it aside. He dropped down into the opening he had just created without hesitation, Mjolnir gripped snugly in his fist.

His eyes darted from left to right, then back again, as he attuned himself to his surroundings, his retinas adjusting to the darkness. Slowly, the shapes around came into clearer focus and he could just make out what he was looking at. It appeared to be the remains of some sort of control room. It vaguely reminded him of the one that S.H.I.E.L.D. opperated from, only with a distinctly more _alien_ or otherworldly appearance to it.

He walked to the center of the room, gaszing down at the charred remains of a Chitauri as he did so. He uncaringly stepped over the corpse and continued making his way through the ruin. He searched the room thoroughly for any signs of his brother, though he was sure that he was missing many of the minor details of the room because of the darkness; though he did find a small handfull of empty bullet casings that he assumed were from Agent Romanoff's guns.

After circling the room twice, he sighed and turned to fly up to the hole that he had made in order to get inside. As he turned, his eyes fell upon what appeared to be a door. He stepped up to it and ran his eyes up and down it.

He set Mjolnir down next to his feet and reached both hands out to the door, his fingers gripping the slight groove where the two pieces came together when closed. He focused his strength and began to slowly pry the door open. The door opened slowly, and Thor adjusted his grip, and gave a low growl as he finally wrenched the door open wide enough to walk through.

He reached down and lifted Mjolnir back into his hand and stepped through the door. He found himself in a long hallway with another door at the far end, this one was already hanging open, one of the sides bent and unrecognizable. He made his way down the hallway, sidestepping here and there to avoid pieces of the ceiling that had ruptured and now hung down in jagged, broken chunks.

He reached the end of the hall and peered through the doorway, noting that the room beyond was more of an intersection than an actual room. He stepped fully into the intersection, noting the three other doors, two of which were closed tight, and the room beyond the third was completely collapsed and the wall around it was near-shredded and burned black. He moved toward it, nearly tripping as he took the first step. He looked down at his feet to see what had gotten in his way and frowned. It was a corspe. He knelt down and studied the body, finding it to be a Chitauri. He also noted the scorched tip of a broken arrow protruding from its head.

He looked up at the mass of debris that had fallen through into the room beyond the third door and sighed. He stood and turned away, eyes darting back and forth between the two remaining doors. He wondered which he should take.

He stood between them, unsure of which way he wanted to go. The door to his right was simply open, as if it had been so when the detonation occured, while the one to his left seemed to have burst open from the detonation or the crash. He looked back over his shoulder at the collapsed room. Based on what he was seeing, that was where the bomb had been when it had gone off. He was sure that had he seen this room before the ship had been destroyed, it would would bear a striking resemblance to the one that he and Banner had passed through to reach the engine room in the ship they had infiltrated, the _Demeter._

_**Loki was in there,**_ he thought, his chest constricting at the thought. He swallowed and stepped up to what was left of the opening. There was no way for him to enter the room from his current position. He let out a sorrowful sigh as he clenched his fist biting back the scream of rage and despair that was threatening to tear its way from his throat. He slammed his fist into the ramaining section of wall, leaving a large dent in the hard, thick metal. He blinked a few times to stave off the feeling that he wanted to cry, taking deep breaths to try and regain control of himself. _**Relax, there is no proof that he is in there. I refuse to give up until I know for sure.**_

He looked up and noticed a damaged section of the ceiling. He twirled Mjolnir and launched himself toward it, blasting through the metal effortlessly. He emerged into the open air, thick with the smell of smoke, and scanned the area below him, marking it in his mind. He noted the collapsed section and landed on the hull next to it. He slammed Mjolnir down with as mch force as he could manage, leaving a great crater in the massive hull as a marker for when he came back in the morning. He was sure that he could find the detonation area again easily, but he wanted to be sure.

He lifted Mjolnir again, calling forth his lightning. It cracked like a cannonshot and arched up into the sky in a brilliant display. A short moment later, five figures landed beside him. "Did you find something, Thor?" Sif asked, looking tired.

Thor pointed to the area ahead of him. The Warrriors Three, Sif and Odin followed his finger to the decimated section of the ship. "This is where the explosion originated from. If Loki was in the ship, he would have been there." There was a heaviness to his voice, as if he bore the weight of all the Nine Worlds on his shoulders. Odin sighed, knowing what Thor was really saying: If Loki had been in that room when the bomb went off, there was little to no chance that he would have been able to get out before the explosion destroyed everything around it. He felt remorse wash over him as his heart began to mourn the son that, while not of his blood, was as dear to him as any child born of his seed. He did not want to give up, but he was a King and he had his people to think of as well. Asgard was still under occupation by Thanos, and it would have to be retaken. As much as he would rather focus only on his family, he was the King of Asgard, the Allfather, and he did not get the luxury of being able to linger and mourn in his own time. So he bolstered his resolve and let himself accept the strong possibility that his son may be dead.

The Warriors Three looked down sadly at the destruction that lay before them. They may not have liked Loki much, but they had never wanted him dead. Looking back, it was as if they had never even known him at all, having always ignored him in favor of Thor. Did anyone _really_ know Loki, except for Thor? Odin or Frigga, perhaps knew him well enough, though it seemed that was not the case, as neither had been able to see what truly lied within Loki's heart until it was too late. So, it was only Thor, and perhaps that mortal woman that Loki seemed to spend much of his time with, that could say that they knew the real Loki.

With heavy hearts, the Warriors Three and Sif bowed their heads in silent farewell of their fallen brother in arms.

At their side, Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir, its comfortable weight now the only thing he had left of his brother. He shook his head sharply, pushing that thought away. He would not give in to despair, he had to keep hoping that he would find Loki, alive and well, a witty remark on his lips. He would not give up until he had proof that Loki had been in that room when the explosion had torn the _Space Throne _asunder.

**XXXX**

Natasha sat at the table in the control room of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, her head resting on her folded arms, her face hidden by her hair as she glared outward at nothing in particular. She was beyond angry, she was enraged.

Thor and his team had just returned from their search, having come up empty handed, but narrowed down their search area. While Thor himself looked determined to keep searching, she could see that the others had given up any hope they may have had of finding Loki alive. It hit her hard to see that even Odin had resigned himself to what he already considered fact. It had become too much when he had asked for the casualty numbers for his warriors, and added that they would need to build a pyre for Loki, and give him a proper farewell. She had remained outwardly calm just long enough to cover her face before silently and mentally fuming.

She had already told Fury that she was going back to the crash site to continue the search come morning, he had reluctantly agreed to let her go. _**Everyone else may have given up, but I won't. I refused to.**_

She heard the chair next to hers move across the floor as someone pulled it out and sat down. A soft sigh was heard, followed by a deep, smooth voice. "Fury tells me that you wish to continue the search for my brother."

She lifted her head and wiped her eyes, where a few stray tears had escaped in her anger, as discreetly as she could before turning to face the tall, blonde God of Thunder. She nodded, brushing her hair behind her ears. "Yeah." She cleared her throat when she heard how scratchy her voice was. "I'm going back in," she looked at the clock that hung on the wall near them, "five hours." It was almost one in the morning now.

Thor nodded and looked at her kindly. "Then I suggest you get some sleep. We will need to be alert and clear-headed when we get there, otherwise we may miss something important." She nodded and stood up, Thor doing the same. He reached out and placed a large hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile. "Do not worry. I have faith that we will find him." His smile grew wider and a small spark of amusement came into his eyes. "No one can kill Loki, except Loki."

She returned the smile and he lowered his hand and exited the room. She stood there for a moment, mulling over what he had said. She sighed deeply. _**I hope you're right, Thor.**_

She walked from the room, heading to one of the rooms in the bunker, not trusting herself to be able to drive herself to Stark Tower in the condition she was in. She stopped by the locker room and retrieved the spare change of clothes that she kept there, wanting to have something clean to wear after the shower she was planning to take as soon as she reached one of the spare rooms.

When she came to the first empty room, she entered and locked the door behind her. She laid her spare clothes on the bed and then she stripped off her body-suit and tossed it aside onto the floor. She stepped into the in-room bathroom and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature of the water before removing her undergarments and stepping under the warm spray.

She closed her eyes as the water washed away the sweat, blood and grime from her hair and body. She unconsciously washed herself with the soaps provided and then turned off the water. She dried herself with a towel and then wrapped the towel around her.

She went back out into the main room and began to slowly dress. She discared the long pants that she had found and pulled her tank-top on over her spare undergarments before crawling into the bed and drawing the covers up to her chin. She turned on her side, pulling the spare pillow to her, gripping it in her embrace tightly. She closed her eyes and let her body relax, her arms loosening around the pillow. She forced her mind to think of trivial things, a not-so-easy task given that the only thing she could think of was Loki. Regret filled her heart as she thought of him, her mind flashing to that final moment when she had looked back at him. That thought led to her remembering the kiss, and how right she had felt in his arms. This process continued for what seemed like hours, until she finally slipped into unconsciousness.

**XXXX**

**The door closed, blocking his view of Natasha. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, then turned to the door behind him. He stepped up to it as it slid open at his approach. Beyond it he could see the main reactor that powered the engines, his target.**

** He approached the reactor at a slow, steady pace, wanting to give Clint and Natasha as much time as possible to escape before he unleashed hell with the cylindral device on his belt.**

** There was a loud chittering behind him and he spun to find a Chitauri charging at him, weapon raised. He gripped his Scepter and lunged. The Scepter impaled the Chitauri and he adjusted his hold, then ripped it to the side. He pulled the Scepter around and slammed the Chitauri into the reator skull-first. A dull crack reached his ears and the alien fell limp. He let go of the Scepter and it fell to the floor with the Chitauri still attached.**

** He stepped up to the great machine and deftly removed the bomb from his belt. He gazed down at the silver canister-like object, a soft blue glow escaping through the little windows at each end. He wondered how something so small would be able to bring down the colossus that was the **_**Space Throne**_**. But, he figured that if Stark could make a suit that allowed him to go toe-to-toe with both himself and Thor, he did not doubt the man's ability to build a bomb that could bring down a full-sized starship.**

** He felt his hand begin to shake as he thought of the destruction that would be wrought by this device, and how he would be standing right next to it when it went off. He swallowed thickly around the lump that had risen in his throat, making it harder to breath. He didn't want to die, not yet, not when his life had just started to get better, not when he finally had a chance to be happy...not when he had something to live for, **_**someone**_** to live for, someone worth living for.**

** Natasha's smiling face appeared in his mind, her eyes bright and her hair framing her beautiful face. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as he fought down the wave of sadness that had nearly overwhelmed him at the thought of never seeing her again, of never holding her again, of never kissing her again. **

** He opened his eyes, tears pooling at the corners as he pressed the white button on the bomb. A spikes snapped out of the frame and Loki pushed them into the outer shell of the reactor, using his godly strength to penetrate the metal.**

** His finger hovered over the black button, the button that would seal his fate, along with the fates of every living being on the ship with him. The tears finally fell from his eyes as he closed them, his finger pressing the button in. He heard a click, and a soft hiss, then a chill went through his body, and he felt weightless, just as the world around him exploded in a vortex of white-blue flames, then everything went dark.**

**XXXX**

Natasha sat bolt upright in the bed, her eyes wide. Her breathing was quick and gasping, and her heart was racing in her chest. She bit her lip, trying not to cry out as her dream was still fresh in her mind. She leaned forward, putting her head in her hands as she fought to get herself and her emotions back under control.

She shuddered with suppressed sobs. She was not going to cry, she would not allow it. She would not let herself sink to that. She refused to give in to despair.

She shook herself, pushing aside her negative thoughts as best as she could, but they soon came rushing back. Her dream, or nightmare, had been so vivid, so real, and she could still feel all the fear and pain that she had felt during the course of the nocturnal vision. She had not been herself, of that she was sure; she had been Loki, or at least seen everything from his point of view. She could hear his thoughts, and feel his emotions. She couldn't help but wonder if what she had seen had really happened, or if it was all simply a scenerio conjured up by her subconscious and imagination.

She kicked off the blankets that had become tangled with her bare legs and turned to sit on the edge of the bed. She glanced at the clock, noting the time: '4:56 A.M.', it read. She ran her fingers through her hair, combing it out and then brushed it behind her ears. She stood up and went into the bathroom.

When she came back out, she grabbed the spare pants off the end of the bed and pulled them on. She gathered up the rest of stuff, her suit and dirty undergarments, balling them up in her arms and exited the room. She stopped back by the locker room and changed into her second body-suit, stuffing the dirty one into a duffel bag to take to be cleaned.

She walked into the control room ten minutes later and found Thor already there, waiting for her. Stark was already there, as well as Banner and Steve. She raised a brow inquiringly at them, wondering why they were all there already.

Tony gave an exagerated sigh when he saw her. "About time. I thought you'd never wake up."

She shot him a deadly glare but chose to ignore his remark. "What are you all doing here so early?"

"Waiting on you," Banner answered.

She cocked her head in confusion. "Why?"

"Because," Tony said, stepping forward a bit, "you decided to oversleep and we couldn't leave to continue the search until you showed up. Make sense?" He smiled teasingly, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Banner shook his head, knowing that Tony was only trying to lighten the mood that had hung around them like a dark cloud since Loki had elected to stay behind on the _Space Throne_. "Give her a break, Tony. At least she beat Barton here."

Tony nodded and began to fiddle with the metal bands around his wrists in boredom. Natasha turned to Thor, her expression clearly asking him what was going on. Thor came to stand next to her. "They all showed up early and volunteered to help search for Loki," he said. "I did not ask their reasons for wanting to help, but I am grateful to them."

Natasha nodded. "I understand." She didn't really. What reasons did they have for wanting to help? Tony seemed to like Loki, genuinely, so she could see that he would want to help a friend. She figured that Steve thought of Loki as a soldier, and soldiers were never to leave a man behind, so he felt duty-bound to help find him. She had no idea why Banner would help them find Loki, he had no reason that she knew of to want to help him. It was rather confusing.

The one that she didn't understand at all though was Clint. He had never been shy about his dislike of Loki, which bordered on hatred. Maybe he was thinking that he needed to keep an eye on her so that she didn't do anything reckless. The thought caused a spike of anger to flare up in her, but she was able to force it down.

The door opened again and Clint walked in, his bow and quiver strapped to his back and a pistol strapped to his leg. He nodded in greeting to everyone and waited for Tony to give out the orders, seeing as he was the highest ranking individual in the room, aside from Thor.

Tony looked up from messing with his wristbands to find everyone looking at him. "Hm? What?"

Thor frowned in impatience. "Now that we're all here, I suggest we get going," he said, his tone even.

"I second that," Natasha said, already walking out the door. Thor followed after her. Clint shrugged and went out as well, Steve on his heels.

Tony looked at Banner. "I thought _I_ was in charge here." Banner shrugged his shoulders and started walking out as well. Tony sighed and followed his fellow scientist, muttering under his breath about 'insubordinate supersoldiers and spies' as he went.

**XXXX**

Thor stood back as the Hulk tossed the largest pieces of the collapsed hull out of the hole, Tony not far away doing the same thing in his Iron Man suit, which he had donned in the Quinjet. Thor hefted Mjolnir and smashed into the debris, knockin more loose for Banner to remove. Steve was a few feet away smashing at the hull with his shield.

Off to the side, Natasha stood with Clint, feeling useless as she watched the others work. She wanted to help, but she didn't have the superhuman strength that they had, she was only human, and she wasn't smart enough to make a suit like Tony's. She crossed her arms in frustration.

Beside her, Clint stayed silent. He looked up at the sun, noting that it was nearing noon. They had been out here for six hours already, clearing out the area that Thor had marked for them to search.

Hulk ripped away another large plate of metal and sent is sailing away. Thor stepped up to the spot the metal had been covering and looked down. There was a hole that led down into the chamber below. He looked up at the great green beast. "Can you make this opening wider?"

Hulk nodded and reached down, easily bending the metal away, wide enough so that Thor could enter the hole. The Prince of Asgard looked back at Natasha and waved her over. She eagerly trotted up to where he was, Clint following behind, and peered down into the hole. She nodded to Thor, who jumped down into the opening. She went in right after him.

Banner shifted back into himself and motioned for Clint to go ahead of him. Once the archer had gone in, he slipped inside as well. Tony and Steve followed a moment later.

The interior was dark, save for the single beam of sunlight that shone in through the hole above them. The eyes of Tony's suit gave off a faint glow, and the shadows made the helmet appear skeletal. Steve flinched when he saw it, his mind summoning up the image of the Red Skull before his rational side kicked in and cleared that away.

They all fanned out, moving slowly so as not to trip over anything, their eyes roving the darkness for signs of life. Natasha walked down the middle of the room, wondering how how this area of the room had not collapsed in on itself while the area near the door had been completely demolished. She looked at her feet every few seconds, but every time she looked around she had the strange feeling that this room was familiar, even though she had never set foot there to her knowledge. She couldn't place where she had seen this place, until she came to a large piece of metal that had been warped into a such a state as to be unrecognizable. As she came to it, her boot bumped against something and she looked down curiously.

Her eyes widened and she felt bile rise in her throat at the same time as she had to stifle a scream. She doubled over, wheezing and coughing. All eyes fell on her as she dropped to her knees, still fighting not to vomit. Visions from her dream came flooding back as she snuck a glance at the dead Chitauri, the golden, gleaming handle of the Scepter protruding from its midsection. She swallowed and reached out to it, wrapping her small fingers around it. She gave a sharp pull and wrenched the Scepter free of the charred alien cadaver.

When the Scepter came free, a blue glow emmitted from the crystal set in it, lighting up her horror-struck features. Thor hurried over to her and knelt beside her, his eyes on the weapon in her hand. "Th-that's L-Loki's, isn't it?" he asked, his voice betraying that he was afraid of the answer, even though he already knew what it would be.

Natasha nodded, her entire body shaking from the emotions coursing through her. Her face was frozen in a look of horror, but inside she was screaming.

Thor felt a weight settle over his heart and looked down, his face contorting in a look of pure anguish. He had failed. He reached up to run a hand through his hair, but stopped when he realized that he was trembling. He looked at his shaking hands as the first of his tears slipped from his blue eyes.

Natasha let the tears that she had long been holding in fall as she gazed at the Scepter, Loki's Scepter. The last moments of her dream flashed through her mind again and she too fell into dispair, her body convulsing with every sob that tore through her being as she was overcome with pain and sorrow. She clutched the Scepter to her, holding on to it like it was a lifeline.

The other Avengers looked on, none of them knowing how or if to comfort the two distraught members of their team. They all looked away, giving the two grieving souls what privacy they could within that room. None of them noticed the crystal on the Scepter pulse, as though it were calling out to its master.

**XXXX**

A jolt passed through his body, forcing him back into consciousness. A pair of green-blue eyes snapped open, flitting about in confusion as he awoke. He blinked rapidly as he looked upward; the light of the sun hurt. He opened his eyes again, slower this time, and let them adjust. He gazed up, seeing blue skies dotted with white fluffy clouds, with the sun shining down from high overhead.

He turned his head, seeing grass, at least a foot high, rising up on both sides of him. Confusion permeated his thoughts as he sat up. Pain shot through him, and his eyes widened. He fell back to the ground, slipping back into unconsciousness. The last thing that passed through his mind before all went black once more was a face, the face of a young woman, with fiery red hair and beautiful green eyes.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope it was enjoyable. I never felt that I was that good at conveying emotions on a large scale like that, but I think I did the best that I could. As always, review, but don't flame; I always love seeing the review count go up, and I love reading the reviews even more, and I love long reviews too, so please review.**

**Til neste gang.**

**-Atrocity.**


	21. The Price of Freedom

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews. Hmm. This chapter was hard and I had to listen to countless sad songs to get the right tone in my head for most of this. 'The Price of Freedom' by Takeharu Ishimoto (also where the chapter title came from. Awesome instrumental.) 'My Immortal' by Evanescence, 'Pearl of the Stars' by Coheed and Cambria, 'Say Goodnight' by Bullet For My Valentine, 'Funeral of Hearts' by HIM, 'Leave Out All the Rest' by Linkin Park, 'Dead Flowers' and 'Carry Me Down' by Demon Hunter, 'Another Hero Lost' by Shadows Fall... and many others. Any of these songs would fit this chapter. Give them a listen, they are all good songs. I'm not sure if I was able to keep everyone in character, but I did try. Now, Enjoy!**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XXI: The Price of Freedom**

**'I'd never leave you, but fate has come to silence me. Darkness is all that I see. I cannot reach you, and soon the earth will cover me. It's become so hard to breathe. Forever is waiting. The final steps you're taking will soon be buried in the sand. All the battles they say we won, they leave another thousand lives undone. Forever is waiting. The final steps you're taking will soon be buried in the sand. You're gone but not forgot. Another Hero Lost. The sorrow builds with every passing. All the lessons that you taught and all the light you brought lives on in the eyes of your son.'**

**-Another Hero Lost by Shadows Fall.**

His hand twitched where it lay amidst the long, green grass. He turned his head to one side, a soft, near inaudible, moan escaping passed his lips.

_**"You two go that way."**_

He tossed his head to the other side as his breath quickened, and he moaned again; it was a soft, pitifully distressed sound that he would have never willingly allowed himself to make.

_**"We shouldn't split up..."**_

He muttered under his breath, trying desperately to catch his breath as his throat tightened and his tongue went dry. He felt cold, and afraid; the cold, he was used to, the fear was as well, but he refused to show it. But now, he was at the mercy of it.

_**"It's the bomb, isn't it?"**_

A low growl rumbled deep in his chest and his fist tightened. He shook his head, desperately trying to fight through the fog of fear that had surrounded him and made him a slave to his own mind.

_**"W-what do y-you mean?"**_

He tried to open his eyes, but found that they refused to respond to his wishes. He tried his hands, and felt his fear increase when they did not so much as twitch. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he move? What was going on?

_**The transmitter is broken. It must have happened some time during our fight...One of us will have to detonate it manually."**_

He willed his body to obey him, but no matter how hard he tried, his muscles and nerves would not budge.

_**"No."**_

He wanted to scream, but even his lungs had forsaken him, his breathing now coming out in short, pained gasps and whimpers.

_**"Why does it have to be you?"**_

His heartbeat filled his ears, the pace faster than it had ever been. The fear in his chest continued to increase, and his throat began to tighten even further. In his frantic state, he involuntarily wanted to reach up and clutch at his throat, willing it to open and let the precious, oxygen-filled air to enter his burning lungs.

_**"...I am the only one that has any chance of surviving..."**_

In his clouded mind, he could only think one thing: that he was going to die. He fought harder, not willing to give up so easily. He clung fiercely to his will to live and tried to push through his fear.

_**"Please, be safe, and come back. Please..."**_

He didn't know where he was, or why he was afraid, all he knew was that he had to get out of there. He could not die, not yet. He just couldn't. Why couldn't he? What was holding him back?

_**"I promise..."**_

He struggled further through the mist in his mind, a faint whisper echoing around him. He had promised? Why? How could he promise such a thing, when he was sure that he would not be able to keep it? The fear was receding a bit, as he willed himself back to reality. Who had he promised? He pressed on.

_**"...Natasha."**_

That name, he knew it. Unwilled, a warm feeling began to well up in his chest, helping to stave off the suffocating fear that had plagued him.

_**"Natasha..."**_

He was graced with the image of a beautiful red-haired young woman, with sparkling green eyes, a smile on her face as she looked up at him. The warm feeling grew, and the fog receded even further.

_**"Natasha..."**_

The fog faded entirely as the warmth reached a peak, his body feeling as though it were laying under the blazing rays of the shining sun.

"Natasha!"

His eyes snapped open with a gasp and he shot bolt upright. He gasped again as the light stung his eyes a bit. He looked around, seeing the green grass spreading out on all sides of him. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light of the sun, shining high overhead. He had seen this place before, having caught just a short glimpse of it before darkness took him again.

He slowly rose to his feet and looked down at himself. His leather Asgardian garb was torn and burned in places, but the skin underneath was clear and undamaged. Curiously, he ran the tips of his fingers over the skin exposed by a hole on the chest of his shirt. It was soft and smooth to the touch.

He frowned in confusion. "How...?"

He thought back over everything that had happened just before he had lost consciousness the first time. He had boarded the _Space Throne_ with Clint and Natasha, then they had been captured. He remembered that before that, one of their bombs had been broken. Then they had fought the Other, and Natasha had killed him. During that fight, the remote detonator had been damaged and he had elected to stay behind and set it off manually. He remembered kissing Natasha before they parted ways. A smile came to his face as he reached up and lightly ran his fingers over his lips as he remembered what he had felt at that moment. He could still taste her. He shook his head and forced himself to focus on what happened next. He had gone to the engine room, killing a Chitauri there. He looked around him, searching for his Scepter. He sighed, remembering that he had not removed it from the Chitauri's body after killing it. He remembered arming the bomb and pressing the black button. Then it was all dark.

He frowned and shook his head slowly. No, that was not all. He remembered a cold feeling enveloping him just before the flames had licked at his flesh hungrily. But he had never felt the heat of the flames, only cold. Like ice.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, feeling lost. He had an idea of what had happened to him, but did not know how to feel about it. The only conclusion that he could come to was that his Jotunn blood had shielded him, somehow. As far as he knew, Frost Giants were vulnerable to heat and flames, not immune to them. But his magic could protect him from fire. So, he assumed, his Jotunn power had worked together with his magic to protect him from harm, without his will, as if by instinct.

He looked down at his hands, which were their normal pale hue. He wondered what he would feel if he had seen blue skin instead. He sighed again and let a small smile come to his face. He decided to feel grateful. His Jotunn blood had saved him, and he could see no reason to be upset over that, no matter how much he did not wish to acknowledge that part of him. But that was just it, it was part of him, and he decided that he had better accept that and move on. Yes, he was grateful. It had enabled him to keep his promise to Natasha. He sent a silent thanks to the cold power that dwelt deep inside his being, almost as though it were a separate being itself.

Thinking of his promise, he looked around, trying to determine where he was. He needed to get back to New York, so that he could keep his promise. He spun in a slow circle, looking for anything that appeared familiar. There was nothing, just green fields and a thick patch of trees behind him.

He looked back to the direction he had been facing upon awakening. No landmarks to indicate where he was. He turned to face the trees. He scanned them, and realized that they weren't as thick as he had first thought, just positioned closely together.

He walked toward them, and stepped under their branches. He swiftly and agilely maneuvered through the underbrush. When he came out the other side, he breathed a sigh of relief. He could see the skyline of New York on the horizon, the sun glistening off the glass and concrete.

He focused inward and felt for his magic, feeling it there inside, weakened from overuse. It would be a short while before he was back to full strength again. He sighed and began to walk. It would take him most of the day to get back if he kept a steady pace and did not stop for breaks. He set his eyes forward with determination and began the long trek back to the city, and back to _her_.

**XXXX**

Thor grunted as he hefted the final log up onto the top of the already-large pile. He took and step back, absent-mindedly brushing his hands off. It was a large pile, taller than he was, and tonight, he would burn it in his brother's honor. He would have rather have built a great ship for Loki, but he did not have the time.

He heaved a sigh, and turned away from the pyre and made his way down to the balcony of Stark Tower. Tony had decided that Loki's pyre would be on the topmost point of his Tower, where it could be seen for miles around. Thor was grateful for this; at least Loki would be properly honored, like the Prince and hero he was.

He wished that he could have orchestrated a proper funeral for his brother, like his younger brother Balder had had. The ship, the gifts, all of it. _**But, perhaps Loki would have prefered it this way...**_

He entered the lounge through the balcony door. Tony was standing behind the bar, a glass and a half empty bottle on the counter in front of him. Thor made his way over to him and took at the bar. Tony pulled out a second glass and poured the dark amber liquid into it. Thor took up the glass with a nod of thanks and took a large swig of the liquor. He grimaced slightly as it burned his throat, wondering why mortals would want such a distasteful beverage. He would have prefered some Mead or Asgardian Wine, but alas, there was none on hand.

"You all done up there?" Tony asked, nodding upward, indicating the roof.

Thor nodded and took another swig from his glass. "All that is required it the oil and an offering. I will not have my brother be left with nothing, even in the afterlife."

Tony nodded and refilled his own glass, then Thor's as the Asgardian drained the last of the whiskey. "What did you have in mind?"

Thor sighed and shook his head. "Balder had his ship, Skidbladnir, gold, weapons, tools, his mighty steed and his beloved wife Nanna, who lost her will to live and died on the eve of his funeral." He grew silent, lost in thought.

Tony frowned. "We have none of those things here. No horse, no gold. And, while she isn't his wife, I very much doubt that Natasha would appreciate it if we tried to burn her." He had small joking smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Thor frowned, letting Tony know that his small attempt at humor had not been effective. "No, we have nothing to offer him. He will go to Valhalla as a pauper, not as the Prince of Asgard, nor as a hero of Midgard. Just Loki, the unsung." He looked down sadly, regret once more gripping his heart. It had been only yesterday when they had found the Scepter, undamaged within the ruins of the _Space Throne_, and he had still not come to terms with the hard truth. He was taking the loss of his dear brother hard, harder than most. Odin had been comforting an inconsolable Frigga since they had returned, bearing naught but ill tidings. The Warriors Three, whom Loki had called friends, continued as normal, except for the diminished spark in their eyes. Sif was simply angry, and snapped at any unfortunate soul that dared approach her.

Tony seemed to have spent most of his time in the bar, drinking whatever was in reach. Thor knew that the billionaire had warmed to Loki fairly well, once it had been determined that he wasn't going to try to kill them all, and had come to think of him as a friend. Steve and Banner were the least effected of the Avengers, not having been particularly close to the Trickster.

Clint took the discovery in silence, neither showing sadness nor joy at Loki's loss. He had seemed to be a bit more withdrawn since returning to the Tower though, and Thor wonder if, just maybe, he regretted the way he had treated Loki during his time here on Earth.

But, if there was one person who was taking the loss even harder than Thor, it was Natasha. She had cried all the way back to Stark Tower, clutching the Scepter to her breast desperately. She had been locked up in Loki's room ever since, and had yet to venture out for anything. Tony and Clint had both tried to check up on her, but she had ignored them, refusing to open the door. Tony could have opened it, seeing as he had spare keys for every door in the building locked up in his office, but had opted to respect her wishes and let her mourn in privacy.

Thor drained his glass of whiskey in one go and set the empty glass back down on the bar, where it was promptly refilled.

The door behind him opened and then closed as someone else entered the room. He heard the seat next to his slid out and then felt someone settle themselves onto it, laying their arms on the bar. He heard a soft sigh, the sound lighter than what he would have expected. He turned his head to find the young, red-haired assassin sitting there, her arms folded on the countertop in front of her, and her red-rimmed eyes cast downward. Her shoulders were slumped and she looked as though she had not slept at all the night before. He looked a bit closer at her eyes, seeing that the red was still clear and there was a light sheen under her eyes, indicating that she had just stopped crying.

It was strange to see the usually strong and composed woman reduced to such a state. He knew he wasn't much better, but he forced himself to hide it as well as he could. Natasha was making no such effort. He gave her a hollow smile and turned back to his drink. There was no harm in showing emotion, no matter what some would say. It was not a weakness, especially if one had just lost someone dear to them.

Tony gave a small smile as well and offered her a drink. She shook her head and simply sat there. A strange silence fell over them, making Thor and Tony uncomfortable. Before, when it had been just the two of them, it had been simple; they were men and knew how to deal with each other; there was an understanding. But now, with a grieving Natasha added to the mix, they had no idea how to proceed.

"Its tonight then?"

Both men jumped slightly at her voice, not having been expecting it. Both inwardly winced at how raw it sounded. Thor nodded. "At sundown." He looked out the windows. "Not long now."

Natasha nodded mutely, but said nothing. She looked upward, toward the roof, then stood up and walked out through the balcony door, disappearing up the stairs that led to the highest point of Stark Tower.

Tony watched her go, then turned back to Thor. "We may not have any of the things you mentioned, but Pepper and Jane ordered a large shipment of flowers from some of the shops around the city. We can burn those if you want."

Thor thought about it a moment, then nodded. "Anything is better than nothing."

Tony cocked his head and finished the last of the whiskey in the bottle. "I'll have them brought up then." He walked out from around the bar and stopped long enough to at Thor on the shoulder before leaving the God of Thunder alone with his thoughts.

**XXXX**

Natasha looked at the pyre, her face blank and dead. If wasn't much to look at, but she wasn't really seeing it. She wasn't really seeing anything around her, so absorbed in her own thoughts was she.

She had not slept well during the night, having cried herself to sleep, and her day had consisted of sitting on Loki's bed and staring at the wall, the Scepter in her lap, thinking over ever moment that she had spent with Loki since his arrival on Earth. Every moment that she cherished. What she wouldn't give to go back to any of those moments. Hell, she would even take when he had been locked in the cell aboard the Helicarrier, and been threatening and insulting her through the glass; at least he would be alive, even if he was her enemy at the time. Oddly enough, she cherished that memory as well, it being the first time they had spoken to each other face to face. She remembered how dangerous he had seemed, how deadly and fierce. Then the look of utter confusion on his face as she had turned the tables on him. Then the slight amusement and admiration as he realized what she had done. It brought the faintest ghost of a smile to her lips.

She remembered all of this now, as she stood atop Stark Tower, the cool evening breeze whipping through her hair. She stepped up to the pile of wood and laid her hand on it, feeling its rough texture under her fingers. She then walked around it and looked down over the edge of the building. She could see the street, far far below, and she could see the other, smaller, pyres dotting it. They were going to light those first, then Loki's.

She looked down for a moment longer, then stepped up on the edge of the building, swaying lightly in the wind. She looked out over the city, toward the setting sun, wondering where Loki was now. She had heard him mention Valhalla before, the place were warriors who fell in battle went, a place of honor amongst the gods and heroes. Surely that was where he was. Or so she hoped. He was a hero after all.

She swayed again as a particularly strong gust of wind blew past her, and she teetered on the edge for moment. She felt weightless, and a jolt of fear shot through her as she realized that she was falling. She reached out, her hands seeking anything to grab on to, to stop her descent. She hit only air.

Then pain shot through her arm as it was pulled back upward with great force. She gasped as she was unceremoniously dropped back onto the roof. She looked up to find an unhappy Thor looking down at her. She swallowed thickly, shrinking back under the glare that he was giving her. "What were you thinking?" he demanded, his voice even, but with a dangerous edge to it. "Well?"

She sighed, remembering that she had done nothing wrong. "I fell."

Thor was not amused. "I know that. But you didn't answer my question."

Natasha frowned and pushed herself to her feet. "It doesn't really matter at this point does it? But if you must know, I was wondering where Loki was now."

Thor nodded. "Did you want to fall?"

The question caught her off guard, but after her shock wore off, she thought about it. Did she want to fall? Did she want to die? _**No,**_ she decided. She did not want to die. At least not that way. If she had fallen to her death, she would not go to Valhalla, like Loki surely had, thus she would not have seen him again. She looked up at Thor, who was awaiting her answer. "No."

Thor studied her for a moment, then nodded, seeming to find what he was looking for in her eyes. What he saw was the truth. She did not want to die. That was good. He did not think that Loki would have wanted her to meet her end like that. "Good." He looked her over. "You should go get ready, the sun will be down soon."

She nodded and he turned to leave. She spoke without meaning to. "Do you think he made it to Valhalla?"

Thor stopped and looked back over his shoulder at her. He was silent for a moment, then he nodded. "I do...or at least I hope he did."

Natasha looked back out at the setting sun and nodded, smiling sadly. "Me too."

**XXXX**

Thor and the Warriors Three arranged the last of the flowers on and around the pile of wood. Thor looked down at the soft white petals of the arrangement that he had just set down. They were truly beautiful flowers, and must have cost a small fortune, given that they were all real, not that strange paper-like material that he had seen used here in the mortal world; and there were a lot of them.

In the center of the flowers was a framed photo of Loki, brought by Fury and Coulson, who had taken the picture from some security footage at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. It showed Loki's face, smiling his wide, bright smile. It had been taken from some time during when he was kept in the glass cage built for the Hulk.

He looked at the photo, taking in the spark in his brother's eyes, and wondered when exactly this had been taken. In this picture, Loki looked to be truly having fun. He sighed and turned around to face those that had gathered on the rooftop to pay their respects to his brother.

There was Odin, standing with his arm around a sobbing Frigga. His father looked to have aged a hundred years in that moment. He looked tired and his eyes shone with sadness and regret. There was Sif, staring ahead boldly, her dark hair hanging down around her face in a soft, silky curtain; the hair that Loki had given her, that she had hated, now let down for all to see. Thor smiled, knowing that it was her way of honoring mischievous man that she had long scorned. There were the Warriors Three, dressed in their finest armor, each there to pay respect to a fellow warrior and friend.

Then there was Dr. Eric Selvig, who, strangely, did not hold any resentment toward Loki for having put him under his control and using him. Thor had asked him about this, and the older man had simply shrugged and said, "I cannot hold a grudge toward him for doing something that was in his nature." Thor looked at the aging man and realized just how wise he was.

Standing next to Selvig was Jane, his beloved Jane. She had not known Loki for long, and thus his loss was not so hard on her. But he was Thor's brother, and she knew the pain that Thor felt, and sought only to offer her support and any comfort he may need. He was grateful that she had stuck by him for so long, unwavering.

Steve was as composed as ever, standing straight and proper, his head tilted upward. His eyes were hooded, betraying the heaviness of the atmosphere around him. As a soldier, he had seen much death in his lifetime, and losing men was a common thing in the military. Perhaps he had become immune to it by now. Thor envied him for how unaffected he seemed to be.

Fury, standing tall next to Steve, appeared even more grim than usual as his one eye looked at the pyre. Beside him was Coulson and Maria Hill, the former frowning and the latter straight-faced and calm. Thor had no idea what could be going through their heads at this moment, but he couldn't help but wonder if any of them were here to honor his brother, or simply out of respect for him. He opted to believe that it was the first of those, that they were here to honor Loki for his sacrifice.

Banner stood, arms crossed, a little off to the side, his face contorted in a deep frown as he looked up at the ever-darkening sky above them. Thor could not even begin to understand the thoughts that went through Banner's head, perhaps only Tony could accomplish that task. After a moment, the good doctor turned hi eyes down to the pyre, then to Thor. He gave him a small nod, a silent offer of support. Thor nodded back with a small smile.

Tony stood with Pepper, his arm around her shoulders. He met Thor's eyes, and then turned back to looking at the photo amongst the flowers, silently saying goodbye to the man whom he had come to consider a friend. Thor knew that his friend's heart was heavy without having to look very hard. Tony wasn't that great at hiding his emotions.

Clint Barton had his head bowed, his hands clasped in front of him, not in prayer, simply to keep them from shaking. He felt that he had failed somehow. Loki had been a member of his team, and he believed that it had been his responsibility to get them all out alive. He had not done so and was all to willing to let Loki take the fall. He knew he was being selfish, due to his jealously of the attention that Natasha paid to the Trickster, and now he was filled with guilt. He looked sideways at the redhead that stood a few feet away, and felt his guilt spike as he took in her red-rimmed eyes and generally broken appearance. He wanted to comfort her, but did not know how. And he didn't think that it would be all that welcome, coming from him, especially after the way he had acted toward her, and Loki, in the recent past. He looked over to where Thor was, to find the Thunder God looking back at him. Clint lowered his eyes once more, unable to hold Thor's gaze as his stomach churned with guilt once again.

Thor let his eyes land on the last person present: Natasha. He could tell that she had been crying again, but was trying to put on a brave front. He could see her struggling to keep her emotions at bay, and he could see her mask breaking. He knew that she would soon break down again.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the speech he was to give. He had opted to say a few words before the lighting of the pyres. Tony had offered, but Thor, after thanking him, had said that he would like to do the honor. It was _his_ brother after all. He tightened his hold on Mjolnir and began to speak. "Thank you all for coming." He swallowed as everyone turned their eyes to him, giving him their full attention. "I'll be honest, I do not know the proper words to say, nor do I know what words, if any, could heal the wounds left on our hearts." He looked at his father and mother, then to Natasha before continuing. "I suppose I could tell you stories of Loki, about his endless schemes and the constant mischief he wrought, but those stories would have been better told by the man himself, as I do not have the skill with words that my brother did." He took a deep breath. "Those stories are also the only thing that many know of Loki. None but a select few had the pleasure to know the real Loki. He was a kind and gentle man, underneath all of the scorn and anger that he surrounded himself with; his shield, his mask. If you asked any Asgardian if Loki was the type to lay down his own life for someone else, they would say 'No. Loki cares only for himself.' He proved them all wrong when he did just that, so that we may all live on to see another day." He stopped a moment, to clear his throat and blink back the tears that had begun to gather in his eyes as he spoke of his brother. "My brother was the bravest and strongest man I ever had the honor to know. He was, without a doubt, the best man I have ever know. He, along with all of those brave souls that fell, gave their blood, their sweat and their tears for us. They all gave their last breath so that we could live free of tyranny." He gestured out to the pyres burning on the street below them. "What you see before you, is what I have found to be the price of freedom. Pain, loss and death. That is the price of freedom, and all of them willingly paid that price." He lifted Mjolnir above his head and shouted, "Hail the victorious dead!"

"HAIL!" The voices of Sif, the Warriors Three, Frigga and Odin rung out through the night. Softer, quieter, 'Hail!'s followed as the rest of those present followed their example. Thor closed his eyes and poured his power into Mjolnir, calling down the lightning from the heavens. Thunder rumbled overhead, then a single bolt of lightning arched down, striking the pile of wood and flowers behind him, setting the pyre to blaze. He looked at the faces of those gathered, seeing the firelight bounce off of their profiles. He could see the light reflecting off the tears that were now streaming down Natasha's face and turned away.

He lowered his arm and let it fall to his side as the tears finally began to fall.

"That's a pity. They were such nice flowers."

He heard a soft gasp that sounded like Natasha and opened his eyes. He looked at her, wondering what was wrong. He was about to ask, but his words died on his lips. There was a tall, dark figure standing behind her, the firelight illuminating his pale skin. He was looking down at the woman in front of him, having fallen silent after his initial comment.

Natasha turned around slowly, her eyes going up, seeking confirmation for what she thought she had heard. "Loki?"

**XXXX**

Loki stopped, seeing a fire burning on the street up ahead of him, just outside Stark Tower. He frowned and picked up his pace, now running toward the building. He came to a stop a short distance from the fire and looked around, seeing several more fires burning, all in neat rows down the streets. Beyond them, he could see people gathered, watching the fires burn.

Curiously, he took a closer look at the fire in front of him. He could just make out something amongst the flames. It resembled a person. A moment later, realization dawned in his mind. These were funeral pyres.

From the looks of them, they had just been lit. He wondered if they had made one for him. After all, no one knew that he was still alive. He walked between the pyres and into the crowd of people that he now realized were Asgardians. He stepped up to one of the people, making sure to stay in the shadows a bit. "Where is Prince Thor?"

The Asgardian, a woman, turned her head slightly toward him, but did not take her eyes off the pyre in front of her. "He and the King and Queen are on the roof, preparing the pyre of Prince Loki," she said simply, as though he should already know.

Loki nodded to himself and looked up to the building beyond behind him and set his eyes to the balcony. He focused his power and imagined himself up there. He knew he didn't have much energy left, but he felt that he could risk it, this time.

He let his magic flow through him and sighed as his body became intangible and weightless. He closed his eyes, the image of the balcony clear in his mind. When he opened them, he was standing far above the street, and he was breathing heavily. He had used a bit more magic than anticipated, but at least he was still standing.

He looked around, seeing no one and frowned. Then he heard a voice, deep and resonating. It sounded like Thor. He looked upward, trying to discern where the voice was coming from. It took a moment, but he finally settled on the roof. _**So, it has already begun.**_

He started up the stairs that circled the building, and emerged onto the highest-most point of the Tower. He stepped out onto the roof, no one noticing him, all of their attention on Thor as he spoke, his voice thick with emotion. "I suppose I could tell you stories of Loki, about his endless schemes and the constant mischief he wrought..."

Loki stopped walking and looked to his brother, who continued to speak, oblivious to the arrival of his newest audience member. Loki stayed back, so as not to be noticed. His eyes roamed the rooftop, counting in his head all those that had shown up for his funeral. Odin and Frigga, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun. Eric Selvig and Jane Foster. Fury, Coulson and Hill. Tony, Pepper Potts, Steve, Banner and Clint. And finally, Natasha. She stood just in front of him, her shoulders slumped and shaking slightly as she listened to Thor's kind and heartfelt words. He felt the urge to go forward and comfort her, but suppressed it.

"My brother was the bravest and strongest man I ever had the honor to know. He was, without a doubt, the best man I have ever know."

He swallowed thickly, hearing these words, and the pure, raw emotion behind them. He looked again at the grief-stricken face of his brother, then at the shaking form of Natasha and felt his heart constrict. He had never expected anyone to care for him as these two did.

He looked passed them, to the large pyre that had been built for him and he felt his heart constrict again. It wasn't much, there was no gold, no weapons, no treasures of any material sort. But it was piled high with flowers of every variety, all blending together like the colors of a beautiful painting. And, in the middle, there was a picture of him, smiling out at them all with bright eyes.

He stood listening to the rest of Thor's speech in silence.

"Hail the victorious dead!"

"HAIL!"

"Hail," he whispered to himself, thinking of the pyres burning far below them. He heard those that were unfamiliar with Asgardian funerals give quiet 'Hail!'s after the the others. He barely caught Natasha's, so quiet was it, but the sound of her broken whisper cut through him like a knife, and he again felt the urge to go to her well up within him.

He was stopped by the sound of thunder and the crack of lightning. Suddenly the pyre was engulfed in flames. In the silence that followed, he decided to speak. "That's a pity. They wer such nice flowers." As he said this, he walked up to stand behind Natasha, just short of touching her. He heard her gasp and saw her go completely still. He looked down at her as she turned to face him, her eyes seeking his in the dark.

"Loki?" she asked in a soft, near inaudible voice.

He nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. What does one say when coming back from the dead? Figuratively speaking. He smiled down at her instead. In the next instant, his head snapped to the side and his cheek flared with pain. He stood, shocked, for a moment, then tentatively reached up to rub his cheek where she had slapped him. The pain was already beginning to fade. He looked down at her again, seeing the fresh tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him, the edges of her lips tilting upward in a smile. He was confused by this, but did not have long to dwell on it as she threw herself at him, her arms going around his body and her face buried in his chest as she shook with silent sobs. Unsure of how else to react, Loki placed his own arms around her and returned her embrace.

He looked over her head at Thor, who was staring at him as though he had seen a ghost. He gave a small smirk, seeing his brother struck speechless, given that Thor wasn't normally the type to stay quiet. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he ignored them.

He turned his gaze back down to Natasha when he felt her grip on him tighten. "I-I thought you were dead. I thought...that I'd never see you again." Her voice was somewhat muffled, but he heard every word clearly, each syllable like a white-hot spike through his heart.

He tightened his own arms around her and leaned his head down beside hers. "I know. I'm sorry." He knew it wasn't a sufficient response, but she seemed to accept it. After a moment, he spoke again. "But I'm here now. I came back...just like I promised."

She nodded into his chest, a smile forming fully on her lips. They both stood in silence until her sobs died down and the tears stopped flowing. She stepped back from him, wiping her eyes with her hand. "Sorry," she muttered, seeing the wet patch on his clothing where her face had been.

Loki shook his head. "It's alright."

He felt a hand land on his shoulder and turned to find Thor next to him. "Hello, Thor." He lowered one of his hands from where they had come to rest on Natasha's waist and reached up to clasp his hand on Thor's. Natasha moved so that she was standing beside Loki, her hand moving down to hold the one that Loki still hand on her waist.

"How?" Thor asked, his voice disbelieving.

"How what?" Loki asked back, feigning ignorance.

"How are you still alive?" Thor clarified.

Loki's smile slipped a bit. "Oh, that."

"Yes that," Thor agreed.

Tony stepped toward them and raised a hand. "I confess that I, myself, would like to know this. And I'm sure everyone else wants to as well." There were nods all around.

Loki looked down for a moment, catching sight of Natasha watching him curiously, her eyes wide and searching. He sighed. "To be completely honest, I do not know."

"What do you mean you 'don't know'?" Steve asked.

"Just that," Loki said, "I don't know. I remember pressing the button on the bomb, then everything went black. The next thing I know, I am waking up in a field outside the city with my magic severely drained." This was true, he did not know for certain what had happened.

"You don't remember anything else? Anything at all?" Banner asked.

Loki shook his head. "No." He wasn't sure why he left out his theory that it had been his Frost Giant blood that had saved him, but he found that he didn't want to share that with them. Perhaps he was afraid that they would judge him for it. He wasn't sure, but he stayed silent on that.

"It doesn't matter." Everyone turned to see Clint, standing facing Loki. "All that matters is that he's alive. The how isn't important." Loki narrowed his eyes at the archer, who simply flicked his eyes down the red-haired woman at his side. Loki relaxed, understanding what Clint was trying to say. He inclined his head to the archer, who returned the gesture.

"Agent Barton is right," Fury said, stepping up to the Trickster. He placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "It's good to have you back with us."

Loki nodded. "Thank you."

Fury nodded as well and lowered his arm. "It's late. We've all had a long day. I suggest that everyone get to bed." He began to walk away. "Coulson, Hill." The two agents followed after their Director, both nodding to Loki as they passed, Coulson with a small smile.

Loki smirked mischievously. "That sounds like a marvelous idea." Without another word, he vanished, with bewildered Natasha in tow.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know. Review but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	22. Interruptions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: Another chapter. Delving into territory that I am mostly unfamiliar with, so forgive me if this isn't as good as it could be. Enjoy!**

**WARNING: This is the chapter that has earned the upgraded rated from T to M. Some Sexual Content in this chapter.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XXII: Interruptions**

**'Tonight...Tonight...Heal me...Heal me... Yes in the darkness of the night, I know there's someone near me. I can't explain, but its alright as long as this won't leave me. I give to you my sacrifice, my virgin creed, my passion. I'm torn in two but all my life, my life, my life, I'll wait for you to near me and reveal me. Rush tonight. We play the darkest of all symphonies. A little flash of light, then it'll all become the symphony of life, of life, my life. And in the darkness of my dreams, I know it's you that haunts me. In blood I swear my purity and save my treasures for you.'**

**-Symphony of Life by Avantasia.**

Warmth, comfortable and welcoming, surrounded her as her mind emerged from sleep and into the waking world. She sighed and unconsciously moved closer to the source of warmth, her eyes still closed and her mouth upturned in a contented smile. She shifted to turn over, to face toward the strange warmth, only to find that she was unable to. Something was holding her in place.

Her eyes snapped open, her mind coming to life trying to remember where she was and to figure out what was holding her. She glanced down to find a long, pale arm draped snugly across her middle, effectively pinning her in place. She became aware of her back being pressed against something hard. Her eyes followed the arm around to behind her to find Loki, still sleeping peacefully.

Memories came flooding back. She looked back down at herself, finding that she was still clothed, minus the long pants that she had been wearing, and sighed; though she blushed a little at the position they were laying in and the fact that she was only in her panties and a shirt, having discarded her bra before going to sleep.

They hadn't done anything the night before, merely slept in the same bed with each other. That fact disappointed her slightly, but she shrugged it off, silently berating herself. There was nothing wrong with her desire, but she didn't want to move too fast with Loki, preferring to take it slow-ish and not let lust mess things up. Besides that, Loki had been in no condition to engage in such...physical activities so soon after his return. He had teleported them to his room and promptly latched onto the wall for support as he swayed on his feet. He had mumbled an apology, stumbled to the bed, and collapsed onto it. His clothes had changed, via his last ounce of magic, then he had patted the bed next to him, his eyes already drooping as he fought sleep. She had stripped down and joined him without hesitation. He had pulled her close before giving in and passing out. She joined him in slumber a short while later.

She relaxed back onto the bed, letting Loki's warmth lull her back into a state of calm. Absently, she wondered how he was so warm, given his heritage. She mentally shrugged, deciding not to bother herself with it and just enjoy it. She refused to take the little moments like this for granted, especially since she had just been reunited with him after believing that he was dead.

She shuddered, remembering the raw pain she felt at the perceived loss. She shook her head, pushing that thought away. _**He's here now. He came back, that's all that matters.**_ She nodded to herself, as if to affirm this and snuggled herself closer to him.

The next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes as she felt Loki shift next to her, his arm tightening around her as he mumbled something under his breath. She lay still, listening carefully, trying to discern what he was saying. "Nnn...Natasha..." She gasped lightly, hearing her name escape his lips, but the smile that had begun to form on her face fell with the next words that he muttered. "Dammit...don't...don't you dare die on me..." His voice rose a bit with distress, and his arm tightened around her even more as he began to tremble slightly. "Stay...stay with me..."

"Loki," Natasha called out quietly, trying to turn to face him. She found herself unable to move very well, but was able to get herself onto her back and turned slightly toward him. Her eyes fell on his face, contorted in an almost pained expression, his breathes coming out in gasps and moans. "Loki, wake up!" She shook him lightly, trying to snap him out of whatever nightmare was plaguing him.

"N-no...Natasha!" His eyes snapped open, a small stream of tears falling from them. He looked around rapidly, desperation clear in his gaze. His sights landed on Natasha, staring up at him worriedly, and he breathed a deep sigh of relief. His arm that was around her flexed and she felt herself being pulled to him, her head coming to rest over his beating heart. "It was only a dream...thank the Norns," she heard him whisper into her hair.

She moved one of her own arms around him, and began to absently rub small circles over his back as she felt him slowly relax. "It's okay," she said, just loud enough for him to hear. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Loki sighed, then nodded. "Thank you."

She didn't respond, just continued to rub soothing circles into his back and let him hold her as the receded to the depths of his mind.

They laid like that for what felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes. Neither wanted to move from their current position, but the light shining through the cracks between the curtains that hung over the window indicated that the sun had already risen and the day had already begun. "I suppose we should get up now." Natasha said, though she made no move to remove herself from the bed.

"Probably," Loki agreed, but he too remained where he was, unwilling to move.

"Mmhm," was all the response that he got from the comfortable woman in his arms. Loki smirked lightly, and shifted a bit, getting more comfortable.

A loud series of knocks on his door produced an annoyed and disappointed moan from Natasha and she felt Loki chuckle a bit. She moved her arm around to his front at gave his bare chest a light slap, muttering for him to 'shut up'. Loki smiled and resisted the urge to laugh again.

A second set of knocks were heard. "I'm going to kill whoever that is if they don't go away," Natasha mumbled, burying her face in Loki's chest. Knocking was heard again, and she growled. "They're pushing their luck."

"Romanoff! I know your in there," came the voice of Tony Stark. "Loki, quit humping Natasha and tell her to get her lazy ass out of bed!" More knocking. "Don't make me get my spare key. I don't care if you're naked, I'll come in there." More knocking.

Natasha, who had turned a brilliant shade of red at Tony's words, growled again and made to get up, but found herself trapped by Loki's arms. She settled for yelling. "Anthony Stark, I'm going to murder you if you don't shut the hell up and go away!"

Another round of knocking was heard and Natasha threw back the blankets covering her and made to get up, muttering under her breath. Loki only caught part of it and cringed; something along the lines of 'I'm going to rip his balls off and shove them up his ass with a hot poker'. He pulled her back, ignoring the glare she sent him, and took over yelling. "Tony, I suggest you get away while you can. I'm not sure how much longer I can restrain Natasha from maiming you beyond repair. And I doubt Pepper will appreciate it if you return minus your manhood."

There was a moment of silence, then, "Um...report to Headquarters ASAP. OK?"

"OK." Loki called back, ignoring the still-glaring Natasha.

"Right...um...bye." The sound of retreating footsteps announced that Tony had left from outside Loki's room.

Loki turned to Natasha and arched an eyebrow at her. "What? You expect me to let you go out there and maim your boss?"

"Hmph," was all the response he received.

Loki shook his head and let himself fall back on the bed, an arm going over his eyes, blocking the light. Natasha looked down at him in confusion. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Going back to sleep," Loki answered, not moving his arm.

"Oh no you don't," Natasha said, pointing a finger at him. "If I have to get up, so do you." She received no response and frowned. She reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling in an attempt to remove it from over his eyes. When it didn't budge she increased the amount of strength she was using and pulled harder. The next thing she knew, Loki had turned the tables on her and had her pinned down under him.

She gasped and looked up at him, finding his eyes staring down at her, slightly darkened from desire. She found herself enraptured, staring into their depths. Slowly, he began to lower his face to hers until she could feel his breath on her own lips. She lifted her own head up until her lips brushed with his, then he leaned in further, capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. She returned it with equal fervor, a soft moan escaping her as she unconsciously arched her body up to meet his, her bare legs entwining with his, and her arms going around him and grasping at his back as he deepened the kiss.

In the back of her mind, she remembered telling herself to take things slow, but right now her mind was so clouded with lust, and something else that she had yet to put a name to, that she could not resist the warm pleasure that was building inside her.

She gasped as his lips left hers and began to blaze a trail down her jaw line and to her neck. She wrapped her arms further around him, relishing the sensation of his lips on her sensitive skin, her body arching up against his even more. "You are _so_ beautiful." He whispered in her ear, his warm breath on her skin sending a shiver through her.

There was a warmth building below her stomach, almost like an ache, and she squirmed a bit, her hips moving against Loki's in an attempt to relieve the ache. She gasped when she felt his hardened length press into her center through their clothing, feeling herself grow moist. She ground her hips against his again, producing a groan from the man atop her and a soft moan from herself.

His lips moved back up to her mouth and he once again captured her lips in a heated and passionate kiss. One of his hands had drifted down to her waistline and was now moving up over her stomach under her shirt. Her hands were splayed across his back, feeling the muscles rippling under his warm skin with every move he made.

She gasped against his lips as his hand brushed against the underside of her breast, and she felt Loki smirk into the kiss as his hand retreated from the soft mound of flesh that she so desired to have him touching. She moaned in disappointment, causing his smirk to grow. She moved one of her hands around to his stomach, letting it venture down toward the hem of his loose sleeping pants, her fingertips just dipping below the hemline, teasing him.

She ground her hips up against his again, biting her lips as her center came in contact with his hardness, sending a jolt of pleasure through her. She heard him groan and smiled when she felt his hand start to climb back toward her breasts again.

His fingers brushed the underside of one of her mounds again, then moved up until it was cupping her soft and supple breast, his palm laying over the hardened and sensitive nipple. She gasped and arched her back, pushing herself closer to him. Her own hand began to ventured down below his hemline, just inches from his throbbing member.

They locked eyes with each other, both of their eyes dark and clouded by desire. Loki leaned in to kiss her again. Their lips touched and melded together. Then another loud knock was heard from the door, slicing through the mood like a hot knife through butter. The haze of lust began to recede and Loki growled deep in his throat, letting his head drop to rest in the crook of Natasha's neck in disappointment and frustration. Natasha was silently cursing whoever had dared interrupt them and was planning out every possible way she could think of to murder whoever it was. Another knock rung out, and Loki sighed into her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

The Lord of Lies pushed himself off of Natasha and stood from the bed, leaving Natasha cold and unsatisfied, not that the latter was his fault. She sat up and sought out her pants, finding them on the floor at the foot of the bed. She pulled them on while Loki went the door, cursing in a language that she did not recognize as he went.

Loki threw open the door and leveled an icy glare at the person on the other side. "What do you want, Thor?"

Thor appeared taken aback by the coldness of his brother's voice, wondering what was wrong with him. "Um, are you alright, brother?" he asked.

"Don't change the subject," Loki said, ignoring Thor's question. He knew that his brother didn't really deserve his ire, not having been aware that Loki had been pleasurably preoccupied when he arrived, but he could not shake his frustration.

Thor looked past Loki to see Natasha sitting on the foot of Loki's bed, adjusting her shirt and brushing out her hair. Realization dawned in his eyes and he turned back to Loki, his face conveying guilt. He immediately gave an apology, which was waved aside by Loki, then got down to the reason for his interruption. "Father sent me to find you. We are starting the preparations to return to Asgard, and there are a few details he wants to discuss with you."

Loki frowned. "Why?"

Thor shrugged. "I do not know. He only said that I should come find you because he wished to speak with you. He's on the roof."

Loki sighed and nodded. "Very well. Tell him I shall be along shortly."

Thor nodded, apologized again and then quickly walked away.

Loki closed the door and turned back to the room. Natasha was now standing, fully clothed and clearly unhappy. Loki sighed again and walked over to her, magically cleaning himself and changing into his usual suit as he went.

She looked up at him as he came to a stop in front of her and pulled her to him, his hands resting on her hips. Her head came to rest on his chest and his lowered his head until his cheek was laying on the top of her head, one hand coming to rest on her back and the other moving up to run his fingers through her hair. He felt her sigh and moved back so that he could look her in the eye. He then leaned down and captured her lips in a soft and gentle kiss, silently apologizing for his brother's untimely interruption.

She returned the kiss after a moment, silently accepting his apology, even though it did little to aleve the frustrating, dissatisfied feeling within her. She wasn't used to this feeling, having never been in her current situation before. In her profession, there was little time for personal relationships, and until just recently, she had not even bothered with any sort of relationship, romantic or otherwise.

Her thoughts drifted back to what had just nearly occurred in Loki's bed, and felt her cheeks heat up. She wondered if, had they gone further, would it have hurt? She had heard that it did the first time, but wasn't sure how much. She wasn't innocent, not by any means. She had had use her womanly charms to get close to targets before, quite a few times actually, but she had somehow managed to maintain her status as a maiden for all these years, never letting any man take that solitary remaining piece of herself that was still untainted and pure. It dawned on her that had Loki and her continued, she would have let him claim that final purity, would have let him inside her in ways that no one else had ever been. Oddly, she found that that thought did not bother her in the slightest.

She was snapped from her reverie by the sound of Loki's voice in her ear. "I will see you tonight," he said, his voice low and promising.

She smiled at him. "Yes, you will," she agreed. "Though, hopefully it won't be that long before we see each other again."

Loki tilted his head in a silent agreement. "I shouldn't keep my father waiting any longer."

"And I should be getting to work."

Loki opened his mouth to speak. "Natasha..." he trailed off, uncertainly.

Natasha waited for him to continue. When he remained silent, she urged him on. "Yes?"

He licked his lips, looking unsure of himself. "I..uh..I..." he stopped again, swallowing as he attempted to clear his throat. He seemed nervous.

"What is it?" Natasha asked, silently wondering what he wanted to say.

"I-I..." He sighed. "I'll tell you later. OK?"

Natasha took in his flustered and nervous appearance, thinking that it was very unlike him to be outwardly unsure of himself. Her curiosity burned bright, but she nodded anyway. "OK. You can tell me tonight."

Loki smiled, partly in relief that she wasn't going to push him to finish. "For certain."

**XXXX**

Loki stepped out onto the balcony of Stark Tower, his dark hair swaying lightly in the wind that seemed so common at higher altitudes such as this. He stopped for a moment, gazing out over the city. He could see that things were starting to return to normal, with the regular human traffic returning to its previous level, though a few areas were still undergoing heavy repairs and were hence blocked off.

He turned his head to where the remains of the three starships were being torn apart and shipped away by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s many teams of workers. He held no illusions that they were going to extensively study the wreckage in hopes of replicating it, but he allowed himself to trust that Tony and Fury would keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

He continued on his way, up to the roof where Thor had said Odin would be waiting. He walked slow, in no real hurry to reach his destination, but not slow enough for it to be mistaken for hesitance or fear. He mounted the final step and came to a halt, his eyes roaming over the open space of the roof until they landed on his adoptive father, standing next to the remaining ashes and the blackened concrete where his pyre had been located.

He sighed and stepped up to stand beside the aged King of Asgard, not saying anything as he did so. He waited a few short minutes, giving his father time to acknowledge his presence and address him. Odin turned his head, and smiled faintly at his second son, but did not speak.

Loki, while normally a very patient individual, was starting to grow uncomfortable with Odin's silence. "Thor said you wished to speak with me."

Odin nodded, his eye trained on the fire-scarred concrete at his feet. "I did." He began to slowly walk around the blackened area. "As I'm sure you already know, we must be returning to Asgard soon." Loki nodded, urging his father to continue. "And, as you know, our home is still under occupation." Loki nodded again, wondering what point Odin was trying to make. Odin stopped walking when he stood on the opposite side of the ashes and looked up, his eye meeting Loki's. "Tell me, son, what action would you take, if you were in my position? How would you handle the situation?"

Loki blinked, surprised by the question laid before him. He was unsure how to answer. How would he handle the situation? Several plans of action were summoned up by his brilliant and devious mind, but he was uncertain which was the right path. He took a deep breath before answering. "War is inevitable. Thanos has made sure of that. He declared war upon us the moment he set his sights toward Asgard. He had the element of surprise, and we were unprepared for him. We have to assume that he knows that the Other was defeated, and that we will be coming to face him next. He will be expecting us, and we cannot afford to underestimate him or his power." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in slight agitation. "Unfortunately, Thanos has the Infinity Gauntlet, and will be nigh unstoppable." He looked down at the blackened roof at his feet, his mind sifting through all the information he had of Thanos. "An assault with great numbers will only slow us down. I would suggest a small, group of our best fighters to go after Thanos, so as to reduce losses and increase mobility."

Odin nodded. "Yes, Thor had suggested much the same. However, he suggested that the rest of our forces should focus on retaking the city and eliminating the Chitauri both within it and the remaining starship."

Loki raised a brow at this. "An interesting idea. Using the rest of our forces to face the Chitauri would eliminate the threat of becoming surrounded and even the field. Perhaps Thor has grown a bit wiser these past few years." He nodded to himself, as if to confirm this. He looked to Odin. "Is that all you wished to speak of?"

Odin studied Loki for a moment, his single eye moving over him critically. After a moment, he shook his head. "No." He clasped his hands behind his back and turned away, walking to the edge of the building. "I have noticed certain...changes in you, of late. You have grown much from the boy I raised, and from the angry young man that sought to conquer this world." He stopped at the edge of the Tower and looked out over the city below them. "I cannot help but believe that this evolution has been brought upon by these mortals that your brother fights alongside. Am I wrong?" He looked back over his shoulder at Loki, who turned his face away, his thoughts immediately going to Natasha, and he again wondered what point his father was trying to make. Odin smiled, seeming to have received all the confirmation he needed in that single movement. "It is a strange thing, really, that you, whom all of our people seem to believe is unable to love, has fallen prey to that most infectious of conditions. With a mortal, no less."

Loki's head snapped up, his eyes widening as his father's words reached him. He felt his mouth go dry and swallowed nervously. "I do not know what you are talking about." he lied.

Odin's smile grew wider and he shook his head. "Please do not lie to me, Loki. I may have lost my eye long ago, but I am far from blind. Your feelings are as clear to me as the day. I am your father, I raised you. I may not know you as well as a father should know his son, nor do I know you as well as I would like to, I do know you, Loki."

Loki frowned and his eyes narrowed as he felt the old, familiar resentment bubble up in his chest. He bit back a response and viciously shoved his negative emotions back into the depth of his soul, where he could ignore them. He lifted his eyes back up to meet Odin's one good eye. "What of it? Are you going to reprimand me for it? Are you going to tell me that there is no hope for it to last? Well?"

Odin shook his head. "No, Loki." Loki's eyes widened again, those words striking something within his very being. "I am not opposed to this. In fact, I am happy for it. It shows me that there is still plenty of hope for you. Besides, if your brother may love a mortal, what right is there to deny you the same?"

Loki felt as though a weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He had never really thought about, let alone feared, whether or not his father would approve of his relationship with Natasha, until now, when Odin himself had broached the subject. Now that he knew that the man whom he had called his father most of his life supported him, he felt lighter, and relieved. He was unsure how to respond, so he settled for a soft, "Thank you, father."

Odin nodded and walked over to stand in front of Loki, placing a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "Just remember, we are immortal, in the basic sense of the word. We will never die of age. Only the sword may fell us. Only battle or violence can end us. She, on the other hand, is mortal. Aged, illness and harm can take her from you." Loki looked at Odin in confusion, prompting the Allfather to continue. "So, with that in mind, you must ask yourself a very important question: how much do you love her?" Odin locked his gaze with that of his adopted son. "And, if the answer warrants it, you must consider the source of our longevity." He gave Loki's shoulder a squeeze. "And remember, it must be her choice."

Loki nodded, understanding what his father was trying to tell him. "Of course, father," he said.

Odin smiled, squeezed his shoulder once more, then let his hand drop back to his side. "I must go and see to the preparation for our departure. We will have an official war council this evening with the commanders, with the exceptions of Heimdall and Freyr, of course. I will send for you when the meeting begins." With that, he left.

Loki stayed up on the roof for a while longer, letting his thoughts wander. But, no matter how he tried not to let them, his thoughts kept returning to what his father had said about Natasha, and her mortality. Just as his father had said, he had to ask himself how much he loved her. _**Do I dare to ask such a thing of her? I know that I love her, I am willing to admit that now, but does she love me? What if she does not? But if she does, is it enough that she would agree to such a thing?**_

No matter how much he thought about it, he could not answer the questions that were not his to answer. But, then he thought of something else. _**Before such a thing would be possible, we must reclaim Asgard. **_He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. _**I do not have the power to defeat Thanos. Especially since he has the Gauntlet. Yet, we must. But how...?**_

He did not know, and that irked him beyond reasoning. He thought back to every encounter he had ever had with the Mad Titan, hoping for any hint, any clue as to how to defeat him. He was coming up blank, until something Thanos had said to him sparked something in his mind. _**"I, Thanos, offer up your life, as a gift to Death."**_

An idea began to form in Loki's mind, and a smirk made its way on his face. _**Maybe. Just maybe...**_

**XXXX**

Natasha frowned as she entered the control room of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York base. She had been summoned via intercom just a few minutes prior, and she had no clue as to why. Her confusion increased when she found Clint, Steve, Bruce, Thor and Odin already present when she arrived, as well as a few Asgardians that she did not know.

Tony and Fury were present as well, but this was no surprise to her, considering that they worked there. Tony looked at her as she entered and spoke. "Agent Romanoff, good of you to join us. Only one more to go. Well, while we have time, I suppose I should introduce you to these three gentlemen." He gestured to the Asgardians. "These are Thor's half-brothers. This is Hermod," he pointed to a tall blonde man, wearing golden armor and a red cape, with a red helm sitting on the table in front of him, "Vidar," He pointed to a muscular man with a grim expression on his face and deep red armor, "And Tyr." He pointed to the last man, who was tall, with black hair that was tied into two braids that were draped over the shoulders of his black and gold armor. "They are three of the five commanders of Asgard's armies."

Natasha nodded respectfully to the men, who returned the gesture silently. She then turned her attention back to her superiors. "What is this all about?"

Fury spoke this time. "That will be addressed momentarily. As soon as Loki arrives."

Natasha nodded and took her place at the table in one of the last empty seats next to Clint. Clint looked her, noting that she looked much better today, compared to the almost hollow appearance from the day before. "Sleep well?" he asked.

Natasha felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered the events of that morning. "Yeah, I did."

Clint nodded. "That's good. It's good to see you back to yourself again."

Just then, the door opened again, admitting Loki, who appeared to be deep in thought about something. He silently took the remaining seat beside her, ignoring the looks of displeasure from the three Asgardian commanders at his presence. Many of the Asgardians looked down on Loki, but tolerated him because of his status as a prince. These three, while sons of Odin, were not heirs to the throne like Thor and Loki, who were the first and second eldest of Odin's children. Despite Loki being adopted, he was still second in line for the throne of Asgard, behind Thor.

Natasha reached over, laying her hand on Loki's arm, drawing him from his thoughts. He looked at her and raised a brow in question. "You alright?" she asked, seeing his troubled expression.

Loki nodded and reached up to grasp her hand. "I'm fine. Don't worry." He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled at her. She smiled back and nodded as well. Loki let go of her hand and Natasha removed her hand back to rest on the table in front of her. She felt someone's eyes on her and looked around. Clint was purposely looking away from her, and the others were all minding there own business. She narrowed her eyes in confusion until she noticed Odin's eye on her. She looked at him, unsure. Her confusion only increased when he simply smiled at her in a strangely fatherly manner and stood up to address everyone present.

He cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming," he began. "I've asked you all here this evening to address a matter of great importance. Tomorrow, myself and my people will be returning to Asgard."

Natasha gasped, but quickly smothered the sound. Her eyes drifted to Loki, who was looking troubled once more. She wondered what was going through his head. She also wondered if he had known that he would be leaving soon. By the fact that he did not seem surprised by this news, she assumed that the answer was 'yes'. Hurt flared up in her chest. How long had he known? Had he known this morning? Why didn't he tell her? Her thoughts were cut short when Odin continued speaking.

"Asgard is still under enemy control, however, and we must first retake it before we can get on with our lives. That is why I have asked you all to this war council." He took a breath and then continued. "My sons, Thor and Loki, have each suggested a plan for attack." He looked from the two men in question and nodded to Thor, who stood as Odin returned to his seat.

"Thanos' forces will most likely be stationed throughout the city, while Thanos himself will be in the palace." He paused for a second. "Now, Thanos himself is too powerful for our regular forces to take down. So, Loki and I suggest that we send in a small team of our best fighters to face him, while the rest of our warriors clear out the Chitauri from within the city."

Tyr leaned forward. "And who would lead this team?"

Thor frowned. "I will. You, Hermod and Vidar will be leading our regular forces along with Freyr, once we have reunited with him and Heimdall." He turned to Loki, ignoring Tyr's unhappy expression. "Brother, will you join me in this fight?"

Loki looked up at Thor, his face settling into a look of determination. "I regret that I must bow out of this mission for the time being," he said, much to the surprise of most present.

Thor was taken aback, not having expected Loki to back down from something so important. "What?"

"You heard me, Thor. I cannot join you on this mission. I have one of my own to undertake," Loki informed him. "It is of vital importance. We cannot defeat Thanos by normal means. I must find a way to bring him down, if we are to succeed."

A snort of derision was heard from Tyr. "Coward. It is to be expected that you would refuse to face an opponent properly, instead relying on your schemes to bring you victory. You disgust me."

Loki glared at him. "Better to be a live coward than a dead fool, Tyr. I, for one, would rather live to see another day than spend the rest of eternity in Valhalla, especially if I would have to spend that time in your company."

Tyr growled and stood, his hand going to his axe. "Do not insult me, Liesmith. I, at least, have honor."

Loki scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "Honor is a hopeless cause. I've never seen honor do any good for anyone. It only serves to get you killed." He leveled Tyr with a serious gaze. "You fight with honor, and you will die like a dog in the street. Thanos has no regard for honor and will not return the favor. He will cut you down, and what good will your honor be then? Tell me, Tyr, what good is honor if you are dead?"

Tyr tightened his grip on his axe and glared at Loki. "Honor is the only thing that remains when you die. It is how you will be remembered. There is nothing more important than honor."

Loki sighed. "You are more of a fool than I had thought. An amazing achievement, I assure you."

"Bastard!" Tyr growled and drew his axe.

"ENOUGH!" Thor's voice filled the room, as loud and mighty as the thunder that he commanded. "Tyr, stay your hand or lose it! Know your place." Tyr glared at Loki again, then returned his axe to its holder, returning to his seat. Thor kept his stern gaze on his half-brother for a moment longer, then turned to Loki. His eyes softened a bit. He could not fault Loki, he had merely been defending his honor, despite his vocal discounting of the concept, after Tyr had insulted it by calling him 'coward'. "Loki, what is this mission?"

Loki sighed and glanced around, his gaze lingering on Natasha, who was watching him worriedly. He gave her a small smile before returning his attention to Thor. "I am going to Hel," he answered.

Thor's eyes widened, as did Odin's. The other Asgardians seemed surprised as well. "For what purpose would you go there?" Thor demanded. "What lies in that horrid place that you desire?"

"The means to defeat Thanos," Loki told him. "As you know, Hela is a seeress, bound to answer three questions truthfully. It is her counsel I seek. If any besides the Norns themselves know of a way, it is Hela."

Thor looked troubled, causing Natasha's worry to increase. Thor placed his hands on the table before him and took a deep breath, before letting it out with a huff. "If you feel that you must do this, I will not stop you." Loki nodded his thanks. "But, Loki, do be careful."

Loki met his brother's eyes. "I will."

Odin spoke up. "I will join you, my son, in Loki's place." Thor accepted the offer gratefully.

"As will I," Tony said, tapping his knuckles on the table.

"I'm in," Clint joined in.

"I am as well," Steve said.

"Me too," Natasha said, her voice resolute. She felt Loki's eyes on her, but ignored him for the moment.

There was a moment of silence as the Avengers looked to their final member. Banner rubbed the bridge of his nose with a resigned sigh. "Ah, what the hell? Why not? I'm going too."

Thor smiled at them all. "Thank you, my friends. I truly appreciate this."

Tony patted him on the shoulder from his seat beside him. "Don't mention it, Point Break. That's what friends are for." There were nods all around as the rest of the team agreed with the billionaire. "Though, you could let me sample your liquor cabinet once this is over," Tony added as an afterthought.

Thor ignored Tony's comment and moved on. "I believe that is all for now. I suggest you all get some rest, we have a hard fight ahead of us."

**XXXX ***

Loki pushed open the door to his room and stepped into the darkness. He magically changed into his nightwear as he reached for the light switch. Light filled the room, chasing the shadows to the farthest corners. He sat down on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands, his fingers going into his hair as he thought about the task that lay before him. He had no guarantee that he would find the answers he sought in Hel, but he felt that he had to try.

He snapped from his thoughts as he felt the bed behind him dip under someone's weight and a pair of thin arms snake around his body, a pair of soft lips pressing against his shoulder blade. He turned his head, catching a glimpse of red hair. He had not even heard her enter, so absorbed had he been in his thoughts. "What's the matter?" Natasha's soft voice asked.

Loki closed his eyes as she continued to plant feather-light kisses across his shoulder. "Just thinking."

"About tomorrow?"

Loki nodded. "Yeah."

He felt her hand on his cheek, turning his face toward hers. He opened his blue-green eyes to find her green ones staring back at him. He tilted his head and moved his face to hers, their lips meeting in a light kiss. He pulled back to find her smiling at him. "We'll be okay," she said. So simple, yet full of certainty. Loki smiled in return.

Natasha stood up from the bed and walked around in front of him, her hips swaying seductively as she walked. It was in this moment that Loki realized her state of dress, or undress rather. She had already discarded her pants and shoes, now standing in only her black knickers and her shirt. He looked up at her in confusion, his eyes widening as she straddled his waist and leaned in for another kiss, this one harder and more needy that the previous. When she pulled back, she smiled seductively down at him. "I believe you and I have some unfinished business to attend to," she whispered.

Loki's lips turned up in a smirk, his hands moving to her hips as he pulled her closer to him. "I believe you are right."

Natasha gasped as he suddenly moved and she found herself on her back, with his lean form hovering above her. He dipped his head down to hers, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, then moving to plant small open-mouth kisses along her jaw line and neck. Natasha could already feel that warmth returning to the pit of her stomach as he worked, his hands moving down her sides toward the hem of her shirt. "Natasha?"

"Mmm, y-yes?" she asked, her mind already fogged from her reemerging lust.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, causing her to go still.

She turned her head to look at him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape. His words had sliced through the lust-fueled haze like a blade. Without a second thought, she eagerly and desperately smashed her mouth to his, her arms going around his neck to hold him in place. After a second of surprise, Loki returned the kiss just as eagerly. They only parted when oxygen became and issue. Natasha was breathing heavily, her chest moving up and down against Loki's. "I-I love you too, Loki," she whispered back, feeling the edges of her mouth turn up at the words, even though she felt somewhat like a hypocrite, given what she had said to him regarding love during their intellectual chess game on the helicarrier. She lifted her hips, feeling them brush against his, as her desire began to grow once more. "Now, make love to me," she said, her voice almost demanding.

Loki leaned in and kissed her again. "Gladly."

**XXXX**

**Another chapter down. I hope this one wasn't too bad. As I said, this is unfamiliar territory for me. I also hope that this doesn't feel like their relationship is moving too quickly, after all it has been **_**22**_** chapters. Let me know what you thought. Review, but don't flame.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	23. To Hel and Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: A new chapter. This was originally part of a large, extremely long chapter entitled 'Endgame'. but I decided that I needed to split it up into three chapters for readability purposes. This first part of the Endgame Trilogy focuses primarily on Loki and his journey to Hel, as I'm sure you gathered from the chapter title, but other characters like Natasha, Clint and Heimdall appear in this chapter too. I altered the myths a bit again in this chapter, molding them to this story, not big changes really, just thought I'd mention it anyway. There are also some excerpts from the **_**Poetic Edda**_** in this chapter.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XXIII: Endgame: To Hel and Back**

**'SET ME FREE! The smell of shit is all around me, feasting on our fertile grounds. The fire rages all around us, our eyes bleeding from the sound. Please just remind me why you came. Watched you rise, watched you fall, enjoy your time, it means nothing at all. I'll scream of reasons why we stayed. Through this game, staying the same and we wait cause I know sometimes some things change. Sometimes some things change. Scream these words: SET ME FREE!'**

**-Enemy Sex by Evergreen Terrace.**

The darkness of the room was suffocating in its presence as Loki laid there in his bed. The silence was broken only by the soft breathing of the woman beside him, still sleeping peacefully. He turned his head toward her, where she lay curled against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. A soft smile came to his face, despite the heavy feeling in his chest.

He reached out and gently brushed a lock of her hair away from her face. She shifted a bit, nuzzling her face against his chest, her lips quirking slightly. His smile turned sad and he let out a quiet sigh.

He carefully removed his arm from underneath and around her, and slipped from the bed, leaving Natasha alone. He looked back at her, seeing her unconsciously moving to where he had just been laying, seeking his residual warmth now that the source was now absent and out of reach. He watched on, as she began to grow unsettled when the warmth she sought was not forthcoming. He magically summoned his Asgardian attire onto his unclothed body and stepped toward the bed. He reached down, taking hold of the covers, which had been mostly ignored, but now covered the lower half of her naked form, and lifted them up over her, tucking them in around her lightly shivering body. She breathed a soft sigh, as she adjusted to the new source of warmth and comfort, and Loki smiled sadly once more. He would love nothing more than to return bed and lay in her embrace for the rest of the night, but he knew that time was short and he needed to be on his way.

He leaned down and pressed his lips softly to her hairline in a silent farewell, not daring to speak, lest he wake her from her slumber, then turned away. He considered teleporting directly from the room, but he had one last thing to do before leaving. He walked over the dresser and lifted the Scepter from its surface. It pulsed lightly, almost as though it were greeting him. He realized that it had been doing that a lot lately, and it obeyed him better now than when he had first began to wield it. It seemed that it had come to accept him as its master.

He exited the room, closing and locking the door behind him, then set off through the hallways of Stark Tower. He made his way quickly to the security center of the Tower, knowing that the man he sought would undoubtedly be there. He wasn't sure why, but it occurred to him that Barton seemed to never sleep, except after battles, when his body was beyond exhaustion. He wondered why.

He entered the security room to find Barton watching the screens, like he usually was when in the Tower. He did not turn to face Loki as he stepped into the room, not having heard him enter. "Don't you ever sleep?" Loki asked, making Barton jump and turn, his hand going to the gun that hung at his hip. His hand dropped away when he realized who it was that had spoken.

Clint turned away, looking back to the screens. "Not really, no." He let his eyes return to flicking back and forth between screens. "What do you care, anyway?"

Loki scoffed. "I don't. It is just idle curiosity. Nothing more." He really was curious. He wanted to know more about how Clint Barton worked inside. He wanted to know what made him tick the way he did. "Though if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that you don't sleep because you don't like what you see when you do."

He noticed Clint's shoulders tense at his words and knew that he had struck dead center. "What would you know of it?" Clint asked, trying to appear as though he was unaffected.

"More than you might think," Loki informed him. "You aren't the only one with a dark past. I have done my share of misdeeds, as you have so often reminded me." He stepped up to stand behind Barton's chair. "The difference is that I don't hide from my past any longer. It has made me who I am today and I have no regrets except that it took me so long to reach this point. But then, I think that if things had not gone the way they did, I would never have been gifted with such a chance to make something of my life, beyond destruction and rage."

Clint scowled, understanding that Loki was referring to his blossoming relationship with Natasha. It was still a sore spot with him, seeing the woman who was his closest companion and friends drifting away from him, and he could do nothing but watch helplessly as they grew further and further apart. He cared for her more than anyone else he knew, but he found it hard to wrap his head around her actions of late. He understood her meaning when she had said that Loki deserved a second chance, she had been very clear after all. They had all done things that they weren't proud of. They had killed, lied and committed countless other sins, but had still been forgiven and given the chance to change. He knew, in his heart, that Loki was the same as them, and as such, deserved that same chance. He just felt like Natasha had abandoned him, that he was losing her, and that feeling of loss was making him spiteful and angry. "Did you come here just to insult me?" he asked Loki after a moment of silence.

"No," Loki answered, deciding to get to the point of his visit. "I came to ask a favor of you."

Clint turned, confusion and surprise clear in his eyes. "What sort of favor? he asked suspiciously.

Loki began to pace the length of the room. "It has to do with Natasha."

Clint stood up, hearing this. "What?"

Loki sighed. "I need to to watch out for her, for me. I will not be there until after I have found the answers I seek." He walked over the screens, his eyes roving over them all until they landed on one that showed a hallway lined with doors. Underneath it was a small strip of white tape with 'Loki's Room' written on it in black marker. He knew that beyond that door, Natasha was still sleeping, unaware that he was gone. "I know that she is strong, and that she can take care of herself, but Thanos is more powerful than you, or anyone could ever imagine. I want your word that you will protect her while I am away." He met Barton's eyes, silently asking for him to grant this favor. He needed someone that he could trust to look after Natasha. He knew that Clint was that man.

Clint stared back, unsure how to react to Loki's request. The first thing that came to his mind was to say no, simply because it was Loki asking, but almost immediately he wanted to say yes, because it was Natasha that he was asking him to look out for. But what sealed the answer for him was the look in Loki's eyes, the deep fear and unwavering care that shone there. He truly seemed to care about Natasha, which was not something that Clint had ever really considered before. He had not anticipated that Loki held any genuine feelings for her. It was a staggering realization that shook Clint to his very core.

He had treated Loki with nothing but contempt, yet here he was, asking him to take care of the woman that they both cared so much for, perhaps even loved. That Loki would trust him with this was almost like a bucket of cold water to the face for Clint. It was enough for him to wake up and see that the man in front of him was not the same man that had come to this world to conquer and had forced him to try and kill his own friends. No, this was not the same Loki that he had hated for so long.

"Well?"

Loki's voice snapped him back to reality. He locked his gaze with Loki's once more. "I will do everything within my power to keep her from harm. You have my word." Clint was surprised at how resolute his voice sounded, given the situation.

Loki seemed to visibly relax and breathed a breath of relief. "Thank you." Clint nodded in response. Loki seemed to hesitate a moment before extending his hand to Barton. Barton stared at it for a short moment, hesitating, before clasping his hand with Loki's. "Take care, Barton. And good luck."

Clint nodded. "You too. Godspeed."

Loki smirked and released the archer's hand, vanishing on the spot. Clint stood in silence, looking around the now-empty room. He sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, returning to his seat in front of the many screens that showed the goings on within Stark Tower. He would keep his promise, of that there was no doubt. Even if Loki had not asked him, he would have still watched Natasha's back, whether she wanted him to or not. But now, he felt like he was repaying a debt, even though he owed Loki nothing. It was the first step on the road to mending the rift between himself and Natasha. He resolved to learn to accept Loki; it seemed the God of Mischief was going to become a possibly permanent part of her life, and he needed to come to terms with that if he wanted to preserve his friendship with Natasha.

With a determined nod, he turned his focus back to the screens in front of him, returning to his vigil. He settled back into his comfort zone, taking up his position as the silent guardian, the watcher. It was still hours until sunrise.

**XXXX**

Loki appeared within the walls of Asgard, near the royal stables. It was night here as well and he clung to the shadows to hide him from the eyes of any Chitauri that may be in the area. He was breathing a bit heavily, having used a vast majority of his power to get himself there. He caught his breath then, set off.

He slunk from shadow to shadow, building to building, until he came to the place of honor amidst the stables. The inside of the larger stall was pitch black, save for a pair of blood red eyes that stared out at him from the darkness. Loki met the eyes unflinchingly and stepped into the stable. He gathered the saddle from its hook and went to the great beast that was housed in the stall. He opened gate, setting the saddle down on the rail as he entered.

A soft whinny greeted him, followed by the sound of stamping hooves. He held his hands up before him, trying to convey that he meant no harm. His eyes were had now adjusted to the dark and he could just make out the outline of the massive steed that stood before him.

"Whoa, there," he said, keeping his hands up as the horse reared and snorted at him. "Easy, boy." He moved closer, his eyes trained solely on the horse, in case it made to charge him. "Easy..."

He moved closer until he stood just in front of the mighty stallion. It shook its head, neighing quietly. Loki tried to smile and reached out, slowly, until his hand came to rest gently on the nose. "Steady there. Steady." When the horse made no move to bite him or shake him off, he sighed. "Sleipnir, old friend, since the day I found you as but a young foal, you have served my father faithfully and I have asked nothing of you. But, on this day I must beg your aid. I must travel to Nifelheim, to Hela's hall. Will you bear me as a burden? Will you lend me your speed and strength for this journey, my friend?"

Sleipnir stamped two of his eight hooves and tossed his head, then lowered himself down onto his knee-joints so that Loki's could more easily place the saddle across his back. Loki smiled. "Thank you." He picked up the saddle from where he had left it and draped it, along with the soft black blanket that was secured beneath it, across Sleipnir's back. He deftly secured the saddle, tightening the straps and making sure that it would not come loose while he was riding. After that was done, he put his foot in the stirrup and mounted the great stallion.

Sleipnir returned to a standing position as Loki took hold of the reigns. "Ride, Sleipnir. Ride like the lightning." He tapped his heels against the horse's flanks and he sprung into action, galloping forward, all eight hooves pounding against the ground as the scenery flew passed them in a blur.

Through the city and out of the gates of Asgard they rode, then out across the long, bright length of the Rainbow Bridge. As they neared the Bifrost, Loki spotted Heimdall and several of his warriors waiting for him. He pulled back on the reigns calling Sleipnir to a halt before the Bifrost's guardian. "Whoa, Sleipnir. Heimdall, may we pass?"

Heimdall looked up at him. "We have been expecting you, my prince. Tell me, what business brings you here?"

"I ride for Nifelheim, to the halls of Hel. Time is short, may we pass?" Loki spoke quickly, impatient.

"You may. But first, what news do you bring? I have not turned my sight to Midgard for many days now," Heimdall said.

"My father and brother will be returning on the morrow, along with the rest of our people and some of Earth's mightiest heroes, to help retake Asgard," Loki informed him, his impatience to be on his way showing through. "Good Heimdall, time is of the essence, I must reach Hel with all haste, if we are to be victorious in this coming battle."

Heimdall nodded and turned on his heel. He began to march into the Bifrost, with Loki and Sleipnir right behind him. Freyr met them at the entrance, and after a short exchange of words with Heimdall, he rushed out to take the guardian's place on the bridge.

Loki looked around in shock. All through the room were Asgardian warriors, all looking to be tired and battle-weary. Along the walls were several makeshift bedrolls, all bearing a wounded or dying warrior. He looked on, his eyes softening with remorse for these unfortunate souls that were, everyday, placing their bodies and lives on the line so that the quickest route between the worlds remained from the enemy's hands. They fought in hope that their king and their comrades would return and they could reclaim their home. He thought back to his confrontation with Tyr. In his mind, if anyone deserved honor, it was these men.

He turned his gaze back to Heimdall, seeing the weariness on the guardian's own face. This man had more honor than any of them, never abandoning his post, even in the face of such a threat as Thanos. He suddenly held a new respect for Heimdall.

Heimdall inserted his sword into the slot in the center of the room and the Bifrost whirred to life. "You know the rules. If your return should endanger Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed to you."

Loki nodded and adjusted his grip on Sleipnir's reigns as the great horse shifted beneath him. "I understand."

Suddenly the portal in front of him flared to life and he felt himself sucked into it. All around him was a blur of colors and light for a few short seconds as he was transported thousands of lightyears away to the world of Nifelheim.

The light cleared away, leaving him and Sleipnir staring out at the rocky, barren wasteland that was Nifelheim. Cold wind whipped around him, but he was unaffected, thanks to his Jotunn blood. He looked around at the bleak landscape and sighed, remembering the last time he had been here. That time, it had been Thor riding Sleipnir, not himself, and they had been riding to retrieve Balder from Hela's hall after his accidental slaying at Loki's own hand. Now, he was alone on this journey. He tapped his heels, urging Sleipner forward.

Sleipnir galloped hard, seeming to never tire, and the dead and barren scenery flew by them in a mesh of dull and muted colors. The icy wind blew against them, slowing them slightly in their advance, but they never faltered, and never once considered turning back.

After what felt like hours of riding, a fog began to form around them, limiting their visibility and forcing them to slow even more. Loki mentally cursed. It seemed as though the elements of this realm were fighting against him, trying to keep him from his goal. It had been the same the last time they had come here, but Thor's firm resolve had kept them going. Now, it was up to Loki to see this journey through to the end. He bit his lip and set his eyes forward, keeping his mind focused on his task.

The atmosphere of Nifelheim was a dead one. It was dry, bleak, foreboding and dark. The very nature of the place was meant to drain the will of those who entered there, robbing them of any and all desire to go on. Very few could pass through there and not feel the effect upon them. He knew of only two: Thor and Odin; so strong was their resolve that nothing could deter them. Loki felt the effects, but was able to push them aside and ignore them. He wondered if this meant that he was weaker than his father and brother. He shook his head, clearing that thought, for it was not his own. The world around him was tampering with his mind, making him think the most negative of things in its attempt to drain him of his will. He would not allow it to get the better of him.

A short while later, the sound of rushing water reached his ears and he pulled back on Sleipnir's reigns, drawing him to a halt. He gazed ahead, seeing a sight that few ever wished to see. "Nastrond," he whispered to himself. _**The Shore of Corpses.**_ All across the ground ahead of him were the bones of millions, their brittle, pale shapes all meshing together, mixing with the black sand below. Skeletal hands, reaching up as if in a futile attempt to grasp at freedom that was swiftly and harshly denied. Skulls, cracked and worn, their blank hollow eye sockets staring out in a dead gaze, though almost accusing in the set of their jaws and wearing an air of despair like a black veil, separating them forever from the living realm. Beyond this field of broken and shattered bones was the dark, black river Gjoll, running cold and deep. No mortal could touch it's vacuous without having their life drained and their souls ripped from their body in a vicious and unholy manner.

He urged Sleipnir forward once more, his hooves crunching with every step as they ground the bones beneath them to dust. Loki willed himself not to flinch at every sickening snap.

A short ways down the river, was a gilded bridge, crafted from the jagged black stones of Nifelheim, and inlaid with the finest, purest gold. Gjallarbru they called it. In front of the bridge stood a giant, or giantess to be more specific, Modgud, the keeper of Gjallarbru.

The giantess leveled her gaze upon him, and spoke in a loud, yet surprisingly soft voice. "Speak your name and business, traveler."

Loki reigned Sleipnir in again, then shouted out to the giantess. "Noble Modgud, I am Loki Laufeyson of Asgard, I seek an audience with Lady Hela, may we pass?"

The giantess looked down at him, her eyes narrowing. For a moment, Loki feared that she may deny them passage, but this lifted when she nodded and stepped aside, clearing the path for them.

They rode over the bridge and into the waste beyond. Loki knew that they were nearing their destination, as Nastrond and Gjoll marked the border of Hel, and the bridge was the only way across into the realm of the dark goddess.

They had been galloping on for a few minutes when a deep growl stopped them in their tracks, Sleipnir rearing with a frightened cry. "_Halt, wanderer._"

Loki brought Sleipnir back under control and reached forward to pat the side of the horse's neck, attempting to soothe the frightened beast. "Whoa there. Easy, easy," he whispered in the great stallion's ear until he settled. "Reveal yourself, Garm. It is I, Loki, of Asgard."

Out of the mist stepped a great wolf-like hound, his fur tangled and matted with blood. Loki looked at the enormous beast, remembering the writings he had read as a child, from the books of the ancient humans of Midgard that had worshipped them as their gods.

**The best of trees | must Yggdrasil be, Skiðblaðnir best of boats;**

**Of all the gods | is Oðinn the greatest, and Sleipnir the best of steeds;**

**Bifrost of bridges | Bragi of skalds,**

**Habrók of hawks | and Garm of hounds.**

He also remembered his father telling him and Thor of the beast he had encountered on one of his past trips to Hel to seek the seeress' council. The mortals had written of one such ride, supposedly to seek a means to shield Balder from harm. He did not know of any such journey during that time, but, then again, he had been more focused on consoling and comforting his young brother, so he may have missed many things.

**Then Oðinn rose, | the enchanter old,**

**And the saddle he laid | on Sleipner's back;**

**Thence rode he down | to Niflhel deep,**

**And the hound he met | that came from hell,**

**Bloody he was | on his breast before,**

**At the father of magic | he howled from afar;**

**Forward rode Oðinn, | the earth resounded**

**Till the house so high | of Hel he reached.**

"_What business brings you here, Brother's Bane?_" the great hound asked, his massive jaw opening, emitting a low growl under his words.

"I have come to seek an audience with the mistress of this realm," Loki explained. "Let me pass."

Garm growled again, then moved aside, revealing a great iron gate. A deep groaning sound filled the air, followed by the sound of stone scraping against stone as the gates swung open to admit him. A rush of air blew through the gate, bringing with it the voices of the dead.

Wails of despair and tortured screams filled the air around them as they rode through the gates. Once they were passed the gates, they swung back closed behind them, coming together with a loud 'boom'.

The fog thinned out now that he was within the gates, unveiling a great stone fortress. Loki dismounted from Sleipnir and tied his reigns to stone that jutted from the ground, with a simple metal ring attached to it. He patted the horse's nose and rubbed his neck, whispering to him that he would return shortly. A soft whinny was what he received by way of response.

He made his way up the front steps of the fortress and pushed the great iron doors open wide. Before him lay a great dining hall, scarcely more inviting than the rest of the realm. Along the walls were torches, burning with cold blue flames. The only source of warmth in the entire hall was a large cooking pit in the center, where a great fire was ablaze, the orange glow conflicting with the haunting, ghostly light of the torches.

At the far end of the hall, upon a throne fashioned for stone, with a soft deep red cushion upon it, sat Hela, the goddess that many mortals believed to be his daughter; this was not true, he had no children.

Hela turned her head toward him as he entered the hall, though not physically seeing him as her dark eyes were covered by a strip of black cloth that was tied around her head, her ash colored hair falling around it and framing her smooth, pale face. The rest of her body was clothed in a similar fashion, with a single ribbon of black over her breasts, and a long, flowing skirt at her hips. Her dark lips were set in a smile, one that held no warmth whatsoever. The firelight flickered over her, the shadows it cast playing tricks on the eyes; every once in a while, her image would ripple like the surface of a pond and her entire body would take on a more decayed, corpse-like appearance. She had an aura about her so thick that it was almost palpable; invisible dark tendrils that stank of fear and pain and despair venturing out to pry at his mind, the intent to drain his will, much like the nature of Nifelheim itself. Loki was undeterred.

"Welcome, Brother's Bane," she greeted, causing Loki to flinch. He hated that particular name more than any other that had ever been uttered in reference to him, it was a constant reminder of his failure. "What brings you to my humble abode?" Her voice was like icy, yet held a strange warmth to it. It sent a chill down Loki's spine with every word.

"I have questions, and you will answer them," Loki said, his voice calm and commanding.

"Will I?" Hela asked, cocking her head.

Loki nodded, his mouth set in a straight, serious line. "You will." It was not a question.

Hela frowned. "Very well. You know the rules, Brother's Bane. Three questions, three answers. Now ask."

"Tell me, Hela, is there a way to defeat the Titan Thanos?" Loki asked.

Hela hummed in her throat, amused. "Yes, there is a way to do this deed. But how? That is another question."

"How can Thanos be defeated?" Loki asked.

"Hmm, you could bring about his death, Brother's Bane, if you possessed more power," Hela answered. "Alas, at your current level, you are no match for him. You would need to expand your power greatly, through and outside source. But, I have said too much, and that is two questions. Choose your words carefully, Brother's Bane."

Loki narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow in thought, doing as she said, choosing his next question carefully. There were many that he could ask, but they would all require more questions and answers. Answers he would not receive. After deciding on a wording, he spoke, a smirk forming on his face. "Tell me, Hela, specifically, from what source would I be able to absorb enough power to defeat Thanos?"

Hela's frown deepened in displeasure, but she opened her mouth to answer regardless, and Loki's smirk grew with the knowledge. "There is a source within your reach that could provide the power you need. It is also a source sought by your enemies."

When she did not continue, Loki growled in his throat. "What is the source, Hela, you are bound to answer my question, and you have not. Answer." Silence met him as Hela resisted giving him the answer. "_Svaraðu mér!_"

Hela snarled and glared at him, clenching her fist. "You know it as the Tesseract."

Loki's eyes widened. "Of course," he whispered to himself, then looked up at the mistress of the dead. "Thank you for your help."

Hela scowled and tapped her fingers on the arm of her throne in agitation. "Leave me, Brother's Bane."

Loki continued to smirk as he exited the hall and descended the steps outside. He walked over to Sleipnir and untied his reigns, his thin, nimble fingers deftly and skillfully working loose the knot that he had secured there. He pulled the reigns back over Sleipnir's head, past his ears and then gracefully mounted the saddle.

He turned Sleipnir back toward the gates, which slid open to let him pass at his approach. He rode past Garm, who growled at him as he passed, then across the bridge and through Nastrond. Once he was beyond the bones he kicked Sleipnir into a full gallop. "Ride, Sleipnir! Ride for all you're worth!"

He watched the scenery fly by as Sleipnir moved like lightning across the landscape, back to where they had begun their journey. He noticed that now, after recieving the information he had been searching for, he no longer felt the effects of Nifelheim. He attested this to his strengthened resolve and the fact that he now had fresh hope in his heart.

The ride back seemed to take less time than what it had taken to get there, and soon they had reached the place where they had begun their journey. Loki turned his face upward, toward the dark-clouded sky. "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" He waited, hoping to see the tell-tale rainbow light that meant he would soon leave this place. After a moment, and it did not come, he felt the first stirrings of worry. "Heimdall!" There was still no signs of the bridge opening. Sleipnir shifted restlessly under him and Loki tightened his hold on the rain, casting his gaze about the sky above, his face set in a deep frown as his worry began to grow. "Heimdall...?" he called softly, his fear clear now. "HEIMDALL!"

A sound like thunder broke the silence, and the clouds overhead began to shift. Then a bright light broke through the dark sky and engulfed him as he breathed a breath of relief. He felt the rushing wind of the Bifrost all around him as he and Sleipnir were lifted from the crags of Nifelheim.

The interior of the Bifrost appeared around him and he immediately looked toward the center of the room where Heimdall was, just in time to see the Gatekeeper slump forward in pain. Loki leapt from Sleipnir's back and ran to where the golden-armored warrior was, pausing only long enough to withdraw Heimdall's sword from the Bifrost, shutting down the portal; he did not wish to risk doing to Nifelheim what he had done to Jotunheim.

Loki laid the sword aside and grasped Heimdall by the arm and lifted him back to his feet. "Heimdall, what happened?"

An explosion outside shook the room, and the ship that had been above the city suddenly began to drop from the sky, a plume of smoke coming from general area of the engine room. Loki watched with wide eyes, wondering who had taken it out, and how. "The battle has begun," Heimdall answered unneededly as he regained his feet and took back his sword from where Loki had set it down.

"My father?" Loki asked, wondering how long he had been in Nifelheim. It had only felt like a few hours, but perhaps he was wrong.

Heimdall nodded. "He and your brother, along with some mortals from Midgard have gone to the palace, and our forces are fighting throughout the city."

"How long ago was this?" Loki demanded, fear gripping his heart. What if he was too late?

"Only a short time ago. They came through the Bifrost an hour passed." Heimdall lightly shook off Loki's supporting hand. "If you hurry, you can catch them before battle is joined." He looked to the Trickster. "I trust you found the answers you seek?"

"Yes," Loki answered. "But I need the Tesseract. Tell me, Heimdall, did my father bring it with him?"

Heimdall shook his head. "No."

Loki cursed and slammed his hand against the centerpiece of the Bifrost. He then walked around to stand before the portal. "Open the Bifrost, Heimdall. I must go to Midgard, now! The Tesseract is the key to Thanos' defeat. I must retrieve it."

Heimdall looked at him in silence for a moment, seeing the desperation that was thinly veiled in Loki's eyes. He was growing impatient. Heimdall nodded silently and slid his sword back into the slot, bringing the Bifrost to life once more.

Loki had only enough time to take a breath before he was sucked into the portal and transported far from Asgard to Earth. When he landed, he looked around, finding that Heimdall had, once again, dropped him into the center of the highly populated park that had been his landing point last time. He could not help the small smirk that played across his lips when the mortals in the area shied away from him in fear. He ignored them and focused his energy inward, then drew it around himself, teleporting to the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters control room.

When Loki appeared, there was a small scream, followed by the sound of someone falling down. Loki ignored the poor S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and stepped around him, moving toward Fury, who was standing in his usual place at his command consoles. "Loki? What are you doing _here_?" the Director asked.

"Where is the Tesseract?" Loki asked, cutting straight to the point.

Fury's eye narrowed. "Why?" he asked, the suspicion barely hidden from his tone.

"I need it," Loki answered, shaking off Fury's wariness.

"What for?" Fury pressed, not willing to give up something as powerful and dangerous as the Tesseract on a whim.

Loki frowned. This was a waste of time. "I need it. I need its power to defeat Thanos."

Fury sighed. "Follow me."

Fury walked out of the room, Loki on his heels. The Director lead him down into the bowels of the underground bunker that was located beneath the main building. They walked past the room that had housed Odin while he had been in the Odinsleep, then down one of the halls that lead to one of the two common areas in the bunker. He stopped halfway down, in front of a blank wall with a small black square on it. Fury placed his hand on the square, which flashed and came to life. The plate scanned Fury's entire hand, and there was a soft beep, then a slot opened at eye level and a red light appeared, reflecting off Fury's eye. Another beep was heard, then another slot opened to reveal a keypad. Fury punched in a long series of numbers and yet another slot opened with a place for one to press their thumb. Fury placed his thumb on the pad and there was a quiet click. Fury flinched and brought his now bleeding finger to his mouth, sucking it lightly to relieve the sting. Another beep was heard and then there was a hissing sound behind them.

Loki turned to see the wall behind them sliding open. He turned to Fury, who nodded to him. He turned back, and stepped through the newly made opening. Inside was a long room filled with black, featureless cases of varying size. At the far end, on a small pedestal-like surface, sat the Tesseract, its blue glow the only source of light in the room. Loki stepped up to it and raised his hand to reach for it. He stopped short and looked at his hand, realizing that it was shaking slightly.

He suddenly wasn't sure if he should do what he was planning to do. He had been corrupted by power before, who was to say that once he harnessed the power of the Tesseract he would not become a slave to it once more. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath before shaking his doubts aside and taking up the Cube in his hand. It began to glow more brightly, as did the crystal on the Scepter in his other hand. _**How do I...?**_

The Scepter pulsed and began to vibrate in his hand. He looked down at it and cocked his head to the side. He looked from the Scepter to the Tesseract and then back again. He was starting to think that the Scepter had a mind of its own. He gingerly set the Cube back down on the platform and lifted the Scepter. The glow brightened as the Scepter drew nearer to the Cube, then to a nearly blinding level as he touched the tip of the Scepter's blade directly to the Tesseract.

The glow traveled up the Scepter and down into Loki. His eyes turned black, then became a pale, pale blue. He gasped, feeling the raw, pure energy flow through his veigns then into his core. He felt it clash against his own natural magic, then seem to swallow it whole. He let out a strangled cry and dropped to his knees, his hand still clasped around the Scepter, his fingers refusing to let go, and the Scepter still touching the Cube, as though they were being held together by some invisible force.

He felt as if he were being burned apart from the inside as the Tesseract devoured his magic and expanded throughout his body. Unknowingly, he screamed, and his body seized, then convulsed, while Fury stood in the doorway, watching in shocked horror. He had no idea what was happening, nor what to do about it. He rushed forward, and grabbed Loki's shoulders in an attempt to drag the Trickster away from the Tesseract. He gave an involuntary yelp as his hands were burned by the energy that had enveloped Loki. He looked down at his lightly smoking hands, then back to Loki, again wondering what the hell was happening.

Loki's mind was a frenzy of thoughts, but he was unable to focus due to the pain that he was feeling within every cell in his body. _"You. You seek power. __**My**__ power."_ A distorted female voice whispered in his thoughts. _"What makes you think you are worthy of me? You, who wields a part of me already. Why should I give you more?"_ He groaned and ground his teeth together as a jolt of searing pain shot up his spine. _"Answer me, Jotunn."_

Loki gasped again and attempted to think clearly. What was that voice. _**Who...are...you?**_

A soft, hollow laugh echoed through his thoughts. _"I am power, wild and free. I am the maker and unmaker, I am ebb and I am flow, I am balance and I am chaos. You, Loki, know me as the Tesseract."_

_**How do you know my name?**_

_"I know everything about you, Lord of Lies. The moment you sought my power, through your Scepter, you opened yourself up to me. I have seen into your soul, Brother's Bane. I have seen everything you have ever done, and I have seen your heart."_ Suddenly, images began to flash through Loki's mind's eye. Odin, Frigga, Thor, Balder, Laufey and, lastly, Natasha. _"The love you hold for your adopted family, the hate and resentment for your true father. And the care and desire for your beloved. You are full of contradictions and complexities, yet, to me, you are simple. But, you have not answered my question. What, Silver Tongue, makes you worthy to wield my power?"_

Loki convulsed again and his body collapsed to the ground completely, but he was still unable to release the Scepter. _**Nothing...I am not worthy of such power. No one is.**_

_"Then why do you seek it.?"_

_**You already know my answer to that...**_

_"I do. But I would hear it from you, regardless."_

_**...I do not seek this power for myself, but for those that cannot defend themselves against the threat of Thanos. I brought this plight upon them, through my childish need for vengeance. I must set things right once more. If I do not defeat Thanos, he will destroy everything. That is something that I cannot allow. **_

_ "Even with my power, you could still be defeated. You may die."_

Loki ground his teeth against the pain that threatened to tear him apart. _**Whether I live or die is of no consequence, so long as those that I love may live on without this threat hanging over them. So long as they can live, even just a moment longer, my life is of no importance. I would gladly give it, so that they may live.**_

The Tesseract was silent for a moment. _"Very well, Trickster, I shall grant you this gift, one condition." _Loki remained silent, waiting for the Tesseract to state its condition. _"Once Thanos is dead, and your task complete, you must return to me, and allow me to take back the power I lend you. Do you agree to these terms?"_

_**I do.**_

_"You are bound by oath, Liesmith. Remember that. Now go."_

Loki gasped again as the power of the Tesseract built inside of him until it was unbearable, the energy manifesting on the outside of his body like white-blue flames, then faded from him as quickly as it had come, leaving behind his core, which was now augmented with the raw, pure energy that was stored within the Cube. He rose to his feet, slowly, a smile coming to his previously pained face.

Fury watched in wonder as Loki stood, wisps of smoke rising from his body from where the energy had been burning around him. When the Trickster turned to him, he almost flinched, seeing the smile on Loki's face, one that he had not seen since he had first arrived on Earth, before unleashing hell upon them and slaughtering his men. His hand inched toward his gun, knowing that it would do little good against the god, should he decide to attack. "Loki?"

Loki raised his eyes to meet Fury's single one and he tilted his head, finding fear within that dark orb. His eyes flicked down to Fury's hand, then to the gun at his hip. His smile turned into a smirk. "Yes?"

"What happened?" Fury asked, not dropping his guard.

Loki chuckled. "Oh, nothing much."

Fury frowned. "Are you okay?"

Loki's smirk grew. "Quite. In fact, I can only think of one other time that I've felt this alive, and that was...well, that's a personal matter and not for your knowledge." He looked around. "I suppose I should be on my way now, shouldn't I?" Before Fury could protest, Loki had gathered the energy required and teleported away, leaving Fury confused and worried.

Loki materialized in Asgard, on the front steps of the palace and looked up at it. He focused inward, feeling his core still burning strong. He had not used much energy to get there, when normally it would have taken most of his magic to get to Asgard from Midgard through teleportation. He looked around him, finding the courtyard outside the palace to be filled with dead Chitauri and several still-smoking pieces of debris from the destroyed ship.

An explosion was heard from within the palace, causing Loki's smirk to diminish, the gravity of the situation crashing down on him like cold water. He steeled himself and marched forward. He pushed the two massive doors that marked the entrance to the main hall of Asgard and strode inside, his armor appearing on his body as he walked. "Hold on a bit longer, my friends, I'm coming." _**I'm coming, Min Kjære...**_

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Wow, that was a long chapter. I hope it was enjoyable. Review, but don't flame...REVIEW!**

**Until next time.  
-Atrocity.**


	24. Unto the Breach

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. Another chapter. This one is part two of the Endgame Trilogy and acts as the companion/mirror chapter to the previous; it details what the rest of the team was doing while Loki was in Hel. I hope you enjoy it!**

**NOTE: I tinker with the myths and change them to fit this story quite a bit, but that is okay, considering that Marvel has done it since the beginning. But, for those of you that seem to think that I do not know the myths, or have my facts wrong, I feel that I should inform you that I know the myths very well. I have studied them extensively for almost ten years now. As a pagan, the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda are like my bibles. Just thought I should inform you of that.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XXIV: Endgame: Unto the Breach**

**'We'll keep marching to the top of this tower, as God isn't at home. There's nothing in the way that could stop us, it's your time to go. But our needs are one and the same. Just give it the push while I kickstart (There's just no time for this). Come On! It's just the hurt I'm looking for, don't wanna live no more. You've got the gun, I've got the bullets, don't wanna live no more. Oh baby, be my lover, go on and pull that trigger!'**

**-Gravemakers and Gunslingers by Coheed and Cambria.**

Natasha stirred under the blankets of Loki's bed. She was surrounded by warmth and sighed, feeling comfortable. She shifted, reaching out to where she remembered Loki being when she had fallen asleep after their rather...vigorous and passionate lovemaking the night before.

Her brows creased in confusion when her hand found only bare mattress beside her. She opened her eyes, finding the bed beside her to be empty. She looked behind her and frowned, seeing the other side was empty as well. She sat up slowly, her body protesting at moving from the comfort of the warm blankets.

She moved to the edge of the bed and stood, feeling a dull ache between her legs as she moved. It wasn't all that noticable really, all things considered. It had been worse the night before. She stood and turned to fix the blankets and froze when her eyes landed on a small stain of darkened red. She blushed, seeing her own blood staining Loki's sheets. Looking at it though, it was surprisingly little blood, considering how much it had hurt when Loki had first entered her; it had brought tears to her eyes, but Loki had been gentle and understanding, taking it as slow as she needed until she was ready. After that, things had...escelated.

She wondered what she should do about the sheets, then remembered that once a week,on Tuesdays, a house keeper would change them and wash the old ones. She glanced at the clock-radio on the bedside table, reading the date and shrugged, covering the stain with the blankets before gathering her clothes, which were scattered on the floor, having been discarded rather carelessly. It was Tuesday, and the sheets would be cleaned today, as would the laundry.

She laid the bed and walked into the bathroom. As she turned on the shower, she wondered where Loki was. She tried not to feel hurt by the fact that he had left her during the night, but she could not help but be disappointed that she had not awoken in his arms. It was something that she wanted to grow used to, waking up beside him every morning, their naked bodies still entwined after their lovemaking.

She shook that thought away as she stepped under the hot stream and began to wash herself, the water cleaning away the evidence of the previous night's activities. She felt a bit saddened by that, but ignored her feelings and continued to wash her hair and body.

As she was washing her front, her hands brushed over her flat, toned stomach and she began to wonder. Loki and her had not used any sort of protection or any contraceptives. Would his seed take hold in side of her? Could it? Was it even possible for a god to impregnate a mortal? She thought back to all of the heroes in Greek myths that were said to be the children of gods and mortals. Demigods, they were called. If the stories were to be believed, which she did not doubt as she once had, after all, if the Norse gods were real, why not the Greeks well, then it was possible. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, a pregnancy would put her career on hold, on the other, it would mean that she would have a piece of Loki within her. Her mind was split on the matter, and she could not decide how to feel about the prospect. She sighed, and decided to cross that bridge if she came to it; there was no point worrying about something that may or may not happen. Though she couldn't keep the small smile from her face.

She exited the shower and walked out into the bedroom. She looked at the bed and narrowed her eyes in confusion when she found her clothes missing and the bed made. Also, her new body-suit was laid across the bed, waiting for her, with a note laid on top of it. She picked up the note and read it silently, her brow furrowed.

_Dear Agent Romanoff,_

_ You are probably wondering why this note was attached to your uniform. Well, the answer to that is simple: I put it there. I took the liberty of having your uniform sent to Loki's room today so as to save you the trouble of having to retrieve it from your own room all the way down the hall. Don't worry, I didn't go in your room and go through your clothes. I had the maid do it. I also had the maid deliver this, in case you were wondering._

_ Now, I expect you to be in to work by noon today. I will come and retrieve you myself if I have to. My threat to use the spare key still stands...and I'll wear my armor to protect my more essential parts from your not-inconsiderable wrath._

_ sincerely,_

_ -your boss, Tony._

_P.S.: The walls are not soundproof._

Natasha frowned at the last line. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She shook her head and tossed the letter down, taking a glance at the clock as she did so. 11:34 A.M., it read. She cursed under her breath and began to dress hurriedly, finding that the maid had even brought her fresh undergarments. She had been in the shower for over thirty minutes, an unusually long time since it usually only took her ten minutes, fifteen tops.

After dressing and brushing her hair, she ran out of the room and down to the garage, taking one of Tony's many cars and speeding all the way to headquarters. She entered the building at a casual pace, having relaxed once more during the drive, and entered the control room, her heels clacking across the floor, signalling her arrival to all others in the room.

Tony, who was already in his Iron Man suit, with the faceplate lifted, turned to greet her, smiling. "Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up." He stopped and raised his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Wow. Someone had a good night. Look at you, you're practically glowing!" Natasha glared, fighting the blush at the implications of his words.

She brushed passed him, and made her way over to where the rest of the team was standing. They nodded greetings to her as they each silently made the final preparations for their trip. Steve was pulling on his gloves, his face still uncovered by his mask; Bruce was sitting with his eyes closed, wearing the suit that he had designed, seeming to be simply relaxing; Clint was fitting a new string onto his bow, his features creased as focused on his task; Thor was leaning against the table, Mjolnir held loosely between his fingers as he stared at the floor, seemingly in thought; Odin stood beside Thor, Gungnir in his hand and he too seemed to be in thought; Fury and Hill were off to the side, speaking quietly while studying something on one of his many screens. The only person that she had yet to see since waking, was Loki, and she again wondered where he was.

She looked around again, seeing no trace of him. "Has anyone seen Loki?" She turned to Fury, who had asked the question that was on her mind before she had the chance.

Everyone shook their heads, except Clint. "I saw him last night, around three in the morning." He looked up from the servicing of his bow. "He left right afterward. I guess he wanted to get an early start on his trip."

Natasha turned to Clint as he said this, her thoughts turning to why Loki had not at least woke her to let her know that he was leaving.

"It makes sense, really," Thor spoke up, turning his head to face them. "The journey to Hel can be long and treacherous. Loki would know this and seek to set off as soon as possible so as to reduce the chance of arriving to battle too late." He furrowed his brow in thought. "Though, I wonder how he will get there. His magic will not work properly in Nifelheim, so he cannot simply teleport himself there and back, he would have to use the Bifrost to get there and back. Nifelheim and Hel are both designed keep souls in, and thus our powers are severely diminished there. Only Sleipnir would be able to bear him across its landscape with any form of haste." He shook his head. "But Sleipnir is still on Asgard..." He trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging.

**...where Loki would not go, **Natasha finished Thor's sentence in her head. Thor figured that Loki would not risk entering Asgard to retrieve this Sleipnir, which Natasha assumed was some sort of mount, but she had to wonder if Loki _would_ risk it. She did not know; Loki was nothing, if not unpredictable.

"Either way, we don't have time to worry about it," Tony interrupted, stepping over to join them after speaking briefly with Fury. "Ol' One-Eye has given the green light and we should get our asses moving." He turned to Odin. "Hey, Snowbeard, are your people all ready to go?"

Natasha gasped softly at Tony's informal and less-than-respectful addressing of the King of Asgard, but Odin himself did not seem bothered by it. "They have all been gathered in the place where we first arrived. They will depart when I give the order. I believe one of your men is with them."

Tony turned to Fury and called out to him. "Fury, who do we have out there with the Asgardians?"

"Coulson," came Fury's answer.

Tony nodded. "JARVIS, get me Agent Coulson on the line."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS said.

After a moment, Coulson's voice reached their ears from the speakers in Tony's suit. "Director Stark?"

"Yeah, Phil. Are they all ready to go?"

"Just waiting for you to give the order."

Tony looked over at Odin who nodded. "Get them going."

Coulson called out to someone on his side of the line and then Sif's voice was heard, calling out to Heimdall. "They're away."

"Good. Thank you, Coulson." Tony ended the call and looked from each of the Avengers to the next. "Come on, guys, we don't want to miss our rainbow ride."

They all nodded and stood. Clint slung his quiver of his shoulders and folded up his bow, attaching it to the quiver. He then walked around the table and followed after Tony, walked next to Natasha, who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He gave a crooked smile, seeming more like himself than she had seen him in a while. She hesitantly returned the smile and he looked back forward as they exited the room.

Odin stopped for a moment to speak to Fury. "After we have taken back Asgard, we will come back to retrieve the Tesseract."

Fury nodded. "I promise you, we will keep it safe until you can come back for it."

Odin nodded in thanks. "I want to thank you, Director, for all that you and yours have done for me and my people." He extended his hand to Fury. "If you ever require our aid, do not hesitate to call for us."

Fury's one eye met Odin's as he took the offered hand. "To be honest, I hope it never comes to that. But, the offer is greatly appreciated. Good luck up there."

Odin released Fury's hand with a final nod and then followed the rest of the team out the door.

They all boarded the Quinjet, which would take them to the field that they would call the Bifrost from. They all settled into the seats, except for Tony, who stood by the ramp, as they lifted into the air.

Natasha sat next to Clint, who had removed his quiver again so as to sit comfortably. "Did Loki say anything before he left?" she asked quietly, looking up at Clint with inquiring eyes.

Clint looked pensive for a moment, then shook his head. "Not really. Just came by the station to ask me for a favor."

Natasha raised her brow at this. Loki asked Clint for a favor? Surely she had misheard. "He what?"

Clint looked over at her confusedly. "He asked me for a favor."

So she hadn't heard wrong. "What sort of favor?"

Clint shrugged. "Just a favor." He didn't want to tell her that he had been asked to look out for her, because then she would think that they thought she couldn't take care of herself, then she would get mad and not be as focused as she needed to be. He caught her glaring at him for not answering. "Don't give me that look, Natasha." She did not let up. He sighed in frustrated defeat, knowing that she would keep it up until he answered her. "Fine. But you have to promise not to get mad." She nodded and waited for him to continue. Clint sighed again. "He asked me to keep and eye on you and watch your back during the battle, since he won't be there until later."

Natasha processed this, and felt herself growing angry. She wasn't some damsel in distress that needed the men to protect her, she was a warrior in her own right. She did not need Clint to look out for her, and she was hurt that Loki would think that she did.

Clint saw the anger growing in her and quickly continued. "It's not that he thinks you can't take care of yourself, because he doesn't think that. He just said that this guy, Thanos, is going to be extremely powerful, and he doesn't want you to get hurt. Even I can't fault the guy for that."

Natasha let this sink in and huffed, leaning all the way back in her seat. She wasn't sure if Clint was just saying this to appease her, or if it was true, either way, she wanted to believe it; she wanted to believe that Loki respected her abilities and trusted her enough to not treat her like she was weak. She didn't think that Loki saw her as weak, but when it came to her ability to hold her own, she was very proud. She could take down a man twice her size with ease, so she had right to be proud of herself, and if whenever she was treated as less able just because she was a woman, she became angry. She decided to believe Clint, this time, and let herself relax.

Clint sighed in relief, seeing her calm down, and leaned his head back on his seat, closing his eyes. He did not have time to nap, nor did he want to, but it felt good to let his eyes rest after such a long night of staring at video screens. Loki had hit far too close to home the night before, about why he hardly ever slept.

Whenever he closed his eyes and let his guard down enough to sleep, his past would always come back to haunt him in his dreams. All the people he had killed, whether guilty or innocent, came to him. Saw their faces as they died, over and over again in his mind. It was a difficult thing to do the first time, but to relive it repeatedly was unbearable. The only time he did not dream was when he was too exhausted to stay awake and sleep claimed him whether he wanted it to or not. That was why he stayed awake for days on end, so that when sleep finally did claim him, he would not be plagued by dreams. He knew that it was taking its toll on him, but he could not bring himself to seek help, too stubborn was his pride.

They felt the jet begin to descend and Natasha stood from her seat to go wait by the ramp, Clint stayed where he was, content to keep his eyes closed until they had properly landed.

When the jet bucked lightly, signalling their landing, Tony pulled the ramp-release lever and walked out, with the rest of the team following behind. Coulson was waiting for them a few yards away, his dark shades glinting in the sun. He took them off as they approached.

Tony stepped up to his friend and nodded to him. "Mornin', Coulson."

Coulson nodded. "Director."

Tony gave a lopsided smile and bobbed his head, looking rather odd in with most of his head covered by the helmet of his suit. "Catch a ride back with the jet. We've got it from here."

Coulson nodded and headed off toward the jet. Tony nodded to the two Asgardians of the group. Thor took a step forward, his face turned upward. "Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"

A short second later, thunder rumbled overhead and the clouds began to shift as the beam of light from the Bifrost came down to engulf them. In an instant, they were sucked up, through space and deposited on the other side, in a large domed building with walls made of some gold-like metal. In the center of the room stood a tall, dark-skinned warrior with shining golden armor and a sword that was as long at he was tall, his orange eyes looking at them, yet beyond them, as though he were looking into them, through them. Natasha figured that this man must be Heimdall, the Bifrost's guardian.

Heimdall bowed his head slightly. "Welcome home, my king, my prince."

Thor stepped up and clapped Heimdall on the shoulder. "It is good to see you well, Heimdall. Tell me, what is the situation like out there?" He gestured out of the observatory with Mjolnir.

"Freyr, Tyr, Vidar and Hermod have taken the army into the city and begun the counter attack. The main threat to our ground forces is the ship that is hovering over the city." Heimdall pointed out to where the _Sanctuary II_ was, positioned high above the city.

Steve looked to Tony and Thor. "Any ideas on who we take it out?"

Tony shook his head. "I'm comin' up blank on that one, Cap."

"It's a pity we don't have more of those bombs we used before," Clint said.

Thor frowned. "If I never see one of those things again, it will be too soon." Natasha couldn't help but agree with him. They may have taken down their enemy, but it had very nearly taken one of their own from them.

"So what do we do then?" Steve asked.

Bruce stepped forward. "I got a pretty good look at the basic configuration of the engines when we planted our bombs. Maybe, if I get inside and find the power-source, I can reverse the polarity and cause the engines to short-circuit."

Natasha cocked her head. "Why does this sound like a bad sci-fi movie?"

Bruce looked at her, his eyes narrowed, then Tony spoke up, thinking that Bruce didn't get her point. "It's a common occurence in science-fiction films that reversing the polarity is the solution to any and every problem. That's what she's getting at. It is most common with the series _Doctor Who_. It's a phrase that has come to be cliché and considered useless techno-babble." Bruce frowned at him. "You were saying?"

Bruce shook his head. "Nowadays, most devices are equipped with diodes to prevent reverse flow of current which, in turn, prevents the device from being fried by the backwards current. However, from what I saw in there, their fuel flows directly into the engines, where it is converted, so if I reverse the flow, it will force the converted electricity to come in direct contact with the unconverted fuel and the resulting collision will result in an instantaneous combustion and detonation of the engines."

Tony nodded along, musing silently. "Hmm, yes that could work...but seems like it may take a while. Why not just smash it?" When Bruce cocked his head to the side in askance, he explained. "If you and the Jolly Green Giant pummel the engine and cause a disruption of the power flow, the engine will cease to function, then, if you really must blow something up, you can let the raw fuel connect with the sparks that are sure to be created by this and the entire thing goes up like the Fourth of July."

Bruce thought about it for a moment. "That could work too." He shrugged. "Might be quicker, actually."

Steve shook his head, not really understanding the majority of what the two men had said. "Okay, so, now that that is decided, we need to get to the palace and find Thanos."

Thor nodded. "Agreed."

Tony nodded as well and clapped Bruce on the shoulder with his armored hand, making the Doctor wince. "Alright, Big Man, you know what you need to do. As for the rest of us, let's move out, this guy's ass ain't gonna kick itself."

They ran out of the Bifrost and stopped just outside. The gates lay in the distance, at the end of the long Bridge that connected the city to the Bifrost. "It'll take to long to get there on foot," Thor said. Tony nodded and grasped the back of Clint's vest, Odin took hold of Steve and Natasha climbed up onto Thor's back. Bruce nodded to them and began to transform. Once the transition was complete, the great green beast bounded off across the Bridge, moving in long leaps. The rest of them followed, lifting into the air and flying after him.

As they reached the city, the Hulk split off, leaping up into the air. He reached the top of a building, then leapt up to another, taller structure, then up again. He went up just as a group of Chitauri were flying over head. He landed on one of their craft, then pushed off, going higher and landing on another. He jumped from craft to craft gaining altitude as he went, each craft dropping from the sky after he had pushed off of it. When he had finally gotten high enough, he jumped up and latched onto the outside of the ship. He punched a hole on the side and then began to rip that hole open wider until he was able to dig his way into the ship and disappear from their view.

The rest of the group flew toward the palace at top speed. They touched down just outside the palace in a courtyard, with a separate area off to the side. Just as they landed, Chitauri began to pour into the front courtyard and surrounding areas. Natasha jumped off Thor's back and drew her guns taking aim and firing. Clint joined her in killing as many of the aliens as possible before they reached them and they had to resort to older, less distance-based methods of eliminating the creatures.

She unloaded both of her guns, dropping several of the Chitauri, then hastily reloaded. Clint stood behind her, facing the opposite direction, firing arrow after arrow at the approaching hoard. They were standing back to back, as they had done many times in the past. Natasha felt a bit of comfort, knowing that she had a reliable ally to watch her back, despite that she had been angry about it earlier; that had been her pride talking. She shot one Chitauri in the head, then fired two rounds into another's chest. The rest of her clip was spent and she reached for replacements. "Down!" Clint shouted. Natasha dropped to her knees as Clint turned and fired over her head at a Chitauri that had decided to rush her while she reloaded. She pushed the last clip into place and rolled around behind Clint, now facing the opposite direct that she had been and opened fire on a small group that had tried to move in behind them. She stayed crouched down, so that they could switch back when she had to reload again.

Thor, Mjolnir in hand, rushed into battle, smashing in the skulls of any Chitauri that was unlucky enough to get within striking distance of the mighty Asgardian. He grabbed one Chitauri and slung him around, using him as an extra weapon to take out another of the aliens. He then threw the ragdolled creature into the ranks of still-advancing Chitauri, knocking several of them down into a pile. He jumped at them, holding Mjolnir high and brought it down on the pile, sending out a shock wave that killed those around them, and almost literally broke the Chitauri he had hit to pieces.

Tony fired beams of fiery energy from his palms at the Chitauri, then used his armored fists to beat them down. He deflected a blast from one of the aliens, then grabbed it and pulled it to him. He grabbed the struggling Chitauri's head and gave it a sharp twist, snapping the neck, then let it fall to the ground as he turned and slammed his fist into the face of another. He kneed one in the chest, then backhanded another. JARVIS used his targeting system to lock onto several of the aliens, then a spray of bullets shot out, mowing down the selected enemies, as well as a few extra.

Steve moved amongst the enemy, using his shield as a weapon to bludgeon the aliens to death. He would swiftly and powerfully smash his shield into their heads, and any other point that had been left open to attack. He swept the legs from under one of the Chitauri with his own leg, then swung his shield arm down at it, bringing the edge of the shield to the Chitauri's chest. A thick crunch was heard as the force of the blow pushed the armor of the Chitauri down hard enough to shatter the bones and rupture the organs underneath.

Odin twirled Gungnir with expert ease, speed and precision, lashing out at the aliens that had invaded his home and threatened his people. He impaled three Chitauri on the end of his spear, lifted them off the ground then spun, slamming the Chitauri down head-first into the stones below their feet. The sound of skulls splitting reached his ears and with a swift jerk of his arm, Gungnir slid out of their bodies. He then swung the spear wide, slicing the throat of another Chitauri open, causing a small spurt of purple blood to spray out.

Natasha holstered her guns and ran forward, then jumped, executing a two-footed dropkick into a Chitauri's chest, then when fell back on the ground, used her momentum to lift her legs and launch back to her feet in one fluid motion. She then grabbed the fallen alien's weapon and slammed it down into his chest with enough force to shatter the bones there under the armor. A loud explosion was heard over head and suddenly the Chitauri all froze, then a spark at their neck signalled at the kill switch implanted in them had activated and severed their spinal chord and frying the brain.

They all turned to look up at the sky, seeing the ship come plummeting down to crash upon the ground not far from them. Debris, hot, burning shards of metal came down around it, smashing through buildings and other structures. Several of these pieces of metal came hurtling toward the courtyard, where they were.

Tony easily batted aside some it, as did Thor and Odin. Steve raised his shield, which kept the debris from crushing him as it rained down. Clint had moved near the palace, a bit of overhanging structure blocking the worst of the it from, protecting him. Natasha stared up at three pieces that were headed right at her and turned to run. She ran out of the courtyard just as the first piece struck where she had been standing. She ran into some sort of garden, but did not stop running long enough to admire it, another piece coming down just behind her. She continued to run, moving to go around a tree that was in the garden. She felt panic shoot through her as she suddenly tripped, pitching forward to land painfully at the base of the tree. She turned over to see the last piece coming down at her, seeing it through the branches of the tree. She closed her eyes and covered her head, knowing that it would do her no good. her mind was racing and she felt tears prickling at her eyes. _**No, no, no! Please don't let it end like this!**_ She silently prayed, hoping that some cosmic being would answer her pleas.

A loud crash came from above her as the metal made contact with branches of the tree and she let out an involuntary whimper of fear. She closed her eyes tighter as she waited for the end. She did not feel anything, and she wondered if she had been killed so quickly that her mind did not have time to register the pain. But then she heard a faint creak and the rustle of leaves and slowly opened her eyes.

Above her, the giant piece of metal was suspended by the branches of the tree that she was cowering under, the branches bending slightly under the weight, but somehow unbroken by the force of the fall. She stared up in wonder, then gasped as the branches bent a bit more at the ends and the metal slid unceremoniously off the branches to crash onto the ground in front of her.

She carefully pushed herself to her feet, realizing that she was shaking. She looked up at the tree, and sighed, reaching out to place her hand on the trunk. "Thank you," she said, unsure of what compelled her to speak this tree, but feeling that she should thank it for saving her. The leaves rustled slightly, as if a breeze had passed through them, but the wind was still.

She heard her name being called, followed by several sets of footsteps. She turned and called out. "I'm here!"

The footsteps drew closer and the rest of the team over to where she was standing. "You alright, ma'am?" Steve asked, eyeing the piece of giant metal between her and them.

She nodded and turned back to the tree. "This tree shielded me. I don't know how, but it stopped the debris from killing me." She placed her hand on it again, smiling lightly, the shaking of her body coming to a halt.

Thor looked at the tree and gasped. "It cannot be!" he breathed, looking at the tree with wide eyes. Natasha looked over her shoulder at him, not taking her hand away from the rough, yet soft bark. "This is Loki's Tree."

Natasha gasped and looked at he tree with wonder. _**So, this is where he was imprisoned?**_ She looked over the tree fully now. _**Such a beautiful tree...**_

"Loki's tree?" Steve asked, not following. "Loki owns a _tree_?"

Thor shook his head. "Not in the sense that you mean." He looked at it with curious wonder. "No, this is where he was imprisoned after we returned from your world the first time. he spent over a year in there." He looked to Natasha. "You say the tree shielded you?"

Natasha nodded. "Yes."

Thor frowned. "Asgardian trees are stronger than those on Earth, but even that," he gestured to the piece of metal, "should have destroyed it."

"So why didn't it?" Clint asked.

Odin spoke up. "I have a theory. As you said, son, Loki spent over a year trapped within the wood of this tree. It was not his physical body merely trapped inside the tree, it was his mind and spirit. So, in a sense, he _was_ the tree. Perhaps some of his energy, power and spirit still remains within, infused with it, making it more durable." He stepped up next to Natasha and placed his hand on the trunk as well. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes. I can feel the magic in this tree. That is what saved you, my dear," he said to Natasha, giving her an almost fatherly smile.

Natasha looked at the tree, running her fingers over it. If what Odin said was true, and there was still a part of Loki left in the tree, then that meant that in a strange way, Loki had saved her, shielded her, protected her. Her smile grew. Even when he wasn't there, he was still looking out for her.

"Even when he's not here, Loki's still helping us out," Tony said, mirroring Natasha's thoughts unknowingly. "The guy's committed, I'll give him that." He looked back at the palace in time to see Hulk land in the courtyard. "Come on guys. We've got a baddie to beat." Natasha lingered with her hand still on the tree. "Come on, Little Red, quit molesting Loki's Tree and let's go."

Natasha gave him a glare and followed the rest of the team out to meet Banner. They gathered together in the courtyard once more, Natasha stepping around the Chitauri corpses, Thor, Steve and Odin stepping over them, Clint and Tony using them like stepping stones on their path, neither of them really caring. Odin walked up the front steps of the palace first, followed by Thor, then Tony and Steve, then Clint and Natasha, with the Hulk bringing up the rear. The King of Asgard pushed the doors open wide and stepped inside his throne room. They all fanned out behind Odin and Thor, with the Hulk towering behind them.

At the far end of the room was a golden throne, empty, save for the soft cushion on the seat. They moved forward across the room, Natasha and Clint drew their weapons, keeping them at the ready, eyes scanning their surroundings for any sign of movement.

They reached the throne and Odin stopped, staring down at it. Then, a loud 'boom' echoed through the hall as the door to the hall slammed shut. They all spun toward it, Natasha, guns raised took aim at it. Deep, sinister, deranged laughter filled the room and a soft, multi-colored glow appeared from behind the pillars near the door. Attached to the glow was a large figure, the glow seemed to be emanating from his hand, where a great golden gauntlet was. "Allfather," the figure intoned, his voice gravely and deep. "You were foolish to come back here."

Odin took a step toward the figure. "Thanos, I presume."

The figure nodded. "You presume correctly."

Odin slammed the end of Gungnir on the ground. "I will give you one chance to leave the Gauntlet and depart from here, never to return. What say you, Titan?"

Thanos stepped out of the shadows and into the light, revealing himself to them. Natasha cringed, seeing him. Thanos grinned at them. "I can smell your fear, mortals. You want my answer, Allfather? You shall have it." He lifted the hand that was wearing the Gauntlet and began to build power into it. "Come, let us court Death." The ball of energy in his hand began to grow.

Thor rushed forward and struck out with Mjolnir. The attack was deflected, but Thor moved with the deflection and struck again. He rained down a flurry of blows with speed that he rarely displayed in battle, but each and every strike was blocked or deflected. Thanos seemed to grow annoyed and batted Thor aside with one arm, sending the Thunderer into a pillar, which broke under the force with which the god hit it. Thanos then released the energy strike at the rest of them.

They scattered away from the blast, Natasha diving behind a pillar as the room shook from the detonation. Another explosion followed and Natasha dared to take a peak around the pillar. She gasped. The entire side of the room opposite where she was was gone, leaving behind only a thick cloud of dust and smoke. The next moment, the pillar next to hers was destroyed as a red and blue blur flew through it. She looked over, seeing Steve, unconscious on the floor, his suit burned in places and mouth dripping blood out of the corner. She stared, shocked that Steve had been taken down so easily and quickly. It began to dawn on her just how powerful an enemy they were dealing with. He had batted Thor away like he was a fly, taken out half of the throne room with a single attack and neutralized Steve like he was nothing; if he could do all of that within the space of two minutes, then she was scared to imagine what he could do if he wasn't defeated quickly. She also wondered what she and Clint were doing here, they were obviously no match whatsoever for this being.

A loud roar rung out through the hall, followed by a loud crash. Natasha peaked out again, seeing the Hulk fighting against Thanos. The Hulk smashed his fist into Thanos, sending the Titan flying through the air and into the wall behind the throne. A second later, a blast of energy flew out from the hole that had been made, taking Hulk off his feet and through another wall.

The wall that Thanos had flown through exploded outward and the Mad Titan walked out into the throne room once more. Natasha took aim with her guns and opened fire on Thanos. The bullets struck him in the head and chest, but didn't seem to do much damage. He turned toward her with rage in his eyes and began to advance on her.

Thor and Odin attacked him together, each striking in a counter rhythm to the other, trying to keep Thanos off balance. They landed a few blows but the rest were blocked and the Titan tossed Thor aside again, then grabbed Odin by the neck and threw him to the far side of the room where he landed in a heap.

He continued his advance toward her. As he drew near her , Clint rolled out between them and fired an arrow at the Titan. The arrow stuck into his shoulder, then exploded when Clint clicked a button on his bow.

Thanos rocked back from the force of the detonation but did not fall. He growled and stepped forward, his nine foot frame towering threateningly over Clint. He raised his hand and grabbed Clint by the neck, lifting him from the ground. He then slammed the archer down onto the ground, leaving a dent in the stone floor. He lifted him back up and then slammed him again. Twice more he did this, then tossed the man aside like a broken toy.

Clint flew back to collide with the pillar that she was hiding behind. "CLINT!" She ran over to kneel next to him, her hands shaking him lightly, willing him to move. He did not. She had tears in her eyes as she continued calling to him and shaking him, trying to get him to wake up. A small stomp drew her attention and she looked up, seeing Thanos standing over her, his face contorted in a malicious, maniacle grin. He raised his hand to strike her down alongside Clint and she closed her eyes, preparing for the intense pain that was sure to come. It never did. Instead, the sound of metal on metal was heard and her eyes snapped open. She gasped.

Standing in front of her, his own hand holding back Thanos', was Loki. His golden armor shone and his green cape flowed smoothly down his back. His horned helm added an air of power and stature to his already powerful form. He was glaring at Thanos with a deadly glint in his eyes and when he spoke, it was in a deep, harsh growl of rage. "You will not touch her!" He shoved Thanos' hand aside and spun, the Spear in his hand swinging around and striking the Titan across the face, causing him to reel back. Loki then unleashed a bolt of energy from the Spear, which sent Thanos flying back to crash into the steps that led up to the throne. "Natasha." She looked up at him, finding his green-blue eyes on her. "Get Barton and Rogers out of here. I'll handle things from here." When she didn't move, he urged her on. "Go!"

She nodded and began to try and lift Clint up on her shoulder. "Be careful, okay?"

Loki nodded and leapt forward to continue his fight with Thanos as Thor came over to her, looking a bit beat up, but otherwise unhurt. He lifted Clint onto his shoulder and moved over to Steve. He lifted him as well and made to leave the room, Natasha hot on his heels.

Outside, they met a group of Asgardians. Bruce came out the door behind them, back in human form. An Asgardian with short brown hair took Steve from Thor while another did the same with Clint.

"What happened?" the short-haired Asgardian asked, his voice firm and commanding, despite the fact that he wasn't as physically imposing as many of the other Asgardians; he had a aura about him that demanded respect and obedience.

Bruce came over to them "Thanos. He hit them pretty hard. Johann, do you guys have a field hospital set up?"

The Asgardian, Johann, shook his head. "Not yet, Doctor, but we can have one ready in moments." He passed Steve off to another of the warriors and set off, the tails of his long black coat flapping in the wind that had begun to blow through the courtyard.

"You two go on with them. Johann will take care of them, he's our best healer," Thor told them.

"What about you?" Natasha asked.

"I'm going to help Loki. I don't know how he was able to face off with Thanos like that, but I'm not going to let him fight alone, he's my brother." A look of pride and determination came to his eyes. "We fight together, we die together."

Natasha nodded somberly. "Well, I hope it doesn't come to that." She looked up at Thor pleadingly. "I lost him once, I won't do it again. I don't think I could bear the pain a second time."

Thor smiled. "Don't worry. Nobody can kill Loki except Loki. Remember?"

She nodded again, hoping he was right. Thor flew off into the palace once more, and she turned to follow Bruce and the Asgardians, having to run to catch up. She took a look over her shoulder again. She hoped that Thor was right, but more than anything, she hoped Loki would be okay regardless.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. I hope you all enjoyed it. Review, but don't flame.**

**I have plans in place for a possible sequel to this story, tentatively titled 'Ragnarok', in the planning stage. Let me know what you all think of this.**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	25. Brothers in Arms

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else that is recognizable.**

**A/N: The third and final piece of the Endgame Trilogy, and the last chapter before the Epilogue. I took a bit longer on this chapter. I wanted to try and bring Natasha back to her normal self, or as close to it as possible, everything considered. I had the hardest time with the fight between Loki, Thor and Thanos. I hope it is good enough, or at least meets expectations. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: There is another Asgardian introduced in this chapter and, like Johann, is NOT AN OC. Johann and this character are going to be major parts of the sequel. Now, enjoy the chapter.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Chapter XXV: Endgame: Brothers in Arms**

**'The blood is in the water, the cuts no longer bring me down. Don't you even bother, I've seen enough to take you down. Love, Hate, Pride bottled up inside. Gonna let it go, gonna let it go. I'm feeling superhuman, I'm invincible, I'm bulletproof. I'm on a revolution, I'm invincible, I'm bulletproof. The fight has made me stronger, I can never turn back now. Don't you point the finger, your words no longer bring me down.'**

**- Bulletproof by 12 Stones **

Thor knelt beside Odin, who was still collapsed from when Thanos had thrown him. He placed his hand on his father's shoulder and gave it a light shake. A soft groan escaped the elder man, and his one good eye fluttered open. "Father, are you alright?"

Odin blinked wearily, then slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. "I will be. I just need a moment." He pulled himself to his feet and picked up Gungnir. "Where is he?" Odin looked around, seeing no sign of the Titan.

Thor pointed to the opening behind the throne where Thanos had demolished the wall. "He and Loki went that way. I was about to go after them."

"Loki?" Odin wondered aloud, his one eye a bit clouded from having just awoken from unconsciousness.

"Yes, father, he has returned from Hel. I do not know what answers he found, but he has already fared better against Thanos than either of us," Thor told him.

Odin nodded and started in the direction that Loki and the Titan had gone. "Come, son. We cannot let Loki face this threat alone."

Thor nodded and followed his father as they ran across the room. They cleared the broken wall and into the room behind. It was a simple room, that lead to a set of stairs leading up. The stairway lead up to the royal living quarters, and was used by Odin and his family to reach their rooms quickly without going through the palace halls. It helped after a particularly long day or when they simply didn't wish to deal with others.

Thor ran up the stairs, seeing energy burns on the walls as well as large pieces torn away from Loki and Thanos fighting as they had gone up the stairs. Thor increased his pace, with Odin right behind him.

They came into the living area in time to hear an explosion from the far end of the long hall lined with doors that led to the various rooms of the royal family, some those of those still living, one empty, waiting for its master's return, and one locked shut, its master long-dead and never to return.

A large cloud of dust kicked up, creating a thick haze throughout the entire area, blocking their view of the battle raging ahead of them, the only evidence of this struggle being the sound of bolts of energy exploding and a body crashing through walls.

**XXXX**

"Put him there!" Johann said, pointing to an empty bedroll in the Bifrost. Steve was gently lowered onto it and the Asgardian immediately went to, checking him for injuries. Beside them, another bedroll was laid out and Clint was lowered onto it. Immediately afterward, another Asgardian, this one a woman with flowing blonde hair, came over and began to move her hands over him slowly, her hands glowing a pale blue as she did so.

Natasha had worked the whole way to the Bifrost to set her mask back in place and eliminate all proof of feeling. She had cried more in the last few days than she ever had in her life and she did not want to appear weak. Now, she looked on as the Asgardian woman worked, hoping that Clint was alright. She refrained from biting her lip as the woman checked the archer over and then sighed. The woman looked to Johann. "This one has a few ribs broken and a bit of internal bleeding."

Johann looked over at her for a moment, his own hands working to remove the upper part of Steve's uniform, Bruce was there as well, helping him. "Heal the internal damage first. We don't need him bleeding out before we get him fixed up."

The woman nodded. "Of course."

"Amora," Johann said, lifting Steve up so that Bruce could remove the top of the uniform that the super-soldier was wearing. The woman turn back to him. "Make sure that the ribs did not pierce any of his organs, if they did, and that is what caused the internal damage, we will need to remove the bone from the wound before we can fix it." Amora nodded and turned back to Clint and began to run her hands over him again, the glow brightening.

Natasha waited to hear the verdict, but Johann's working methods caught her eye. Unlike Amora, his hands were not glowing and he was instead gently touching the bruised torso of the unconscious captain. There was something about him that set her on edge, as though there were danger lurking just below the surface and he was doing his best to hide it.

Johann frowned, causing his forehead to wrinkle slightly. He traced each rib and then moved up to the breast-bone and collarbone. He hummed in his throat, then looked at Bruce. "He has three broken ribs, two bruised and three cracked. His collarbone is fractured and he has slight bruising near his sternum. The bruising will heal on its own within a day or so, given his abilities. It's the ribs I'm worried about. We'll need to set them and bandage him so they'll heal properly. He pointed behind them to a supply of medical equipment, Midgardian, had been brought in. "I have everything we'll need over there. S.H.I.E.L.D. was most generous in giving me those. Could gather the required equipment, Doctor Banner?" Bruce hesitated a second. "Come, Doctor, move along, we haven't got all day. I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in." Bruce nodded and ran over to the supplies while Johann began to use his fingers to move the broken bones back into place within Steve's body. Steve moaned softly in pain, his face contorting slighty. "Bear with me, Captain, it's only a bit of pain."

"Johann, the ribs are clear of the damaged area, We'll just need to move them back into place before I can begin healing him," Amora told him, looking up from her work, her voice drawing Natasha's attention back to Clint. She wondered why Johann was mending Steve the mortal way, when Amora was using her magic.

Bruce seemed to wonder the same thing as he brought a bandage roll over to where Steve was, along with a few other things. "How come you can't just heal Steve like that?"

Johann frowned as he moved the last rib back into place. "I do not possess the ability to wield magic like Amora can."

"Then how come Amora can't heal both of them?" Natasha asked, curious but with an edge to her voice.

"Amora is one of our strongest magic users, second only to Prince Loki and Lord Odin. In fact, she trained Loki to harness his magic, but he soon surpassed her in skill and power. Healing with magic may be quick and efficient, but it can be especially painful for mortals, particularly when mending bones back together., Mortals have a lower threshold for pain than we do. The Captain has a natural healing ability. It speeds up the process of rejuvenation exponentially. It would be easier to let him heal on his own, rather than with our help." While he explained this, Johann had lifted Steve up again, taking extra care in doing so, and Bruce was tightly wrapping bandages around his ribs and chest.

Natasha listened to this while watching Amora heal Clint. When Johann mentioned that this woman had trained Loki, she couldn't help but study her further, noting her larger breasts and slim waist, her long, blonde, flowing hair that reached down to the middle of her back, as well as her extremely beautiful face. Next to this Asgardian woman, Natasha felt plain and insignificant. Despite knowing that Loki himself had said she was beautiful before, more than once, she couldn't help but wonder if there had ever been anything between him and this woman. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned, turning her head to watch Johann work on Steve instead of focusing on the other woman. She hated being like this, so 'girly' and jealous, feelings she was not used to at all, not that she wanted to get used to them.

"Oh, no."

Natasha turned back to Amora, hearing the alarm in the woman's voice. The woman was cursing under her breath as she moved both hands to Clint's abdomen. "What? What is it? What's wrong?" she demanded, her voice hard.

Amora ignored her and called to Johann, who came over in a rush, leaving Bruce to tie off the bandages around Steve. "What the problem?" the Asgardian asked, his voice rising slightly, a hint of an accent coming through. Natasha couldn't quite place it, but it sounded somewhat European, though where was unclear.

"One of the ribs punctured a lung!" Amora said, slightly distressed. "I didn't notice it at first, only when I tried to move the rib back into place. His lung began to collapse; the rib was somehow sealing the hole, keeping it from collapsing. I need to remove the bone in order to heal the lung, but I need to heal the lung before it collapses or fills with blood and drowns him, but I can't do both at the same time!"

"Damn!" Johann growled, ripping Clint's shirt open.

Natasha looked from one Asgardian to the other, fear welling up in her. She shoved that annoying emotion down and kept her face and tone calm and controlled. "You can save him, can't you?"

Johann was frustrated, but doing his best to stay in control. "We can try. I'll need to physically remove the rib from his lung so that Amora can immediately heal him. But, to do that, I'll need to cut him open."

` Natasha's eyes grew marginally wider, but she quickly schooled her features into her usual mask. "C-cut him open? But, without all the proper tools, he'll die!" She inwardly cursed at her small stutter at the start of her sentence.

"That is possible," Johann admitted as if he were discussing whether it might rain later.

"You can't let him die!" Natasha growled. She couldn't stand the thought of losing her first real friend. They had just started to repair their friendship, he couldn't die.

Johann sent a glare her way, telling her silently to calm down or go away. Her distress was not helping the situation any. Bruce came over to her, taking her arm and trying to pull her away. She shook him off and she returned Johann's glare. The Asgardian shook his head and turned back to Clint, pulling off his black gloves and taking a small blade from his belt and placing it carefully to Clint's body. "The longer we sit here and argue, the higher the chances of his death grow." Without another word, he began to surgically cut Clint open.

Natasha gasped quietly, seeing the blood begin to flow out of her friend's chest and stomach, her lip twitching when Johann began to open the cut and reach inside of Clint. Amora hovered by his side, her energy-coated hands at the ready to heal as soon as she was given the go-ahead.

A grunt was heard and Clint jerked a bit and a bit of blood spurted from his mouth. Johann cursed quietly and grew even more focused on his work. "Blood is leaking into his lung. We need to hurry."

Another spasm went through Clint, followed by him ejecting more blood from his lips. He was growing extremely pale and he was beginning to move less and less as his color drained. Natasha watched the scene, trying to keep herself calm, but she was barely keeping her mask intact. She had to have faith that Johann and Amora could save Clint. But, as the minutes passed, and Clint lost more and more blood, her hope began to wane.

"Get ready," Johann said, drawing her attention. "One...two...three...Now!" He moved his hand and Amora placed hers on Clint, pouring her power into him.

A few seconds passed. "Done," Amora said, her voice conveying relief.

"Drain the blood from his lung, quickly!" Johann ordered.

Amora nodded and poured more power into Clint. They went on like this, clearing his lung, then fixing his ribs, Amora's eyes gazing at Johann in admiration as he deftly moved each broken bone back into place without use of magic. They finished with the ribs then set about closing the wound that Johann had made, leaving behind the faintest scar on Clint's body as the skin and muscle re-stitiched itself.

Bruce moved over to him. "He's lost a lot of blood. He'll need a transfusion."

Johann nodded. "Indeed." He looked over to the supplies provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. and nodded to them. "See if we have the equipment over there, if not, we'll need to try and summon a healing orb around him to help him replenish faster."

Bruce ran over to the equipment and began going through it.

Johann turned back to Clint. "Amora, check him over one more time. We don't want any more surprises." The woman nodded and got to work. Johann grimaced and began to wipe the thick layer of blood from his hands on a nearby piece of cloth that had been brought over by Bruce earlier with the bandages.

Natasha took a step closer, worry still evident in her eyes, but she had no other outward signs of emotion. "Is he going to be alright?"

Johann gave her a sideways glance but did not answer, merely looked to Amora, waiting for her verdict. She was running her hands over his chest when he jerked and seized up before going limp. "What happened?" Johann demanded, his voice raising and his accent shining through again.

"His heart is giving out!" she said in a panic-filled voice. "I need to set up an orb to keep him stable until we can fix him!" Immediately after saying these words, she let the blue glow disappear from her hands and began to softly mutter to herself with her hands held over Clint. Slowly, a large golden orb of light began to appear around Clint's body. He seemed to relax a bit and his breathing became more even.

"What's that? What is she doing?" Bruce asked, having come running back when he had heard Johann's raised voice.

"Calm yourself, Doctor. It a healing stasis field designed to prevent the body from deteriorating or malfunctioning further while extensive healing is performed. Normally there would be two healers, one to hold the field, the other to do the actual healing. This one is modified to maintain the body, with a small amount of healing. It will keep his heart from failing while slowly replenishing his blood supply." Johann stood and dusted nonexistent dirt from his long, plain black leather coat-like outfit and picked up his gloves from where he had dropped them, returning them to his hands. "We'll have to wait until after the battle to heal him properly."

"But, you will be able to, right?" Natasha asked, a bit anxiously.

Johann looked at Clint, then back to Natasha. "Perhaps. If Amora can hold the field until Thanos is defeated and the battle is won. Only time will tell." Bruce frowned at this, thinking that Johann was not being very understanding of Natasha's feelings. He was viewing things practically, and realistically, not that Bruce blamed him for that, but he could have shown a bit of optimism, even if it was a front.

Natasha bit her lip, not liking that answer. She nodded curtly and turned to walk out of the Bifrost. Outside, she found Heimdall standing alone. His eyes were trained on the palace. "Can you see them?" she asked the guardian.

He nodded. "I can."

Natasha swallowed. "How are they doing?"

Heimdall did not turn to her. "They fight well."

Natasha nodded. It wasn't the answer she wanted to hear, but it gave her hope that Loki and Thor were still fighting. If they were fighting, then they were alive, and that is what mattered.

**XXXX**

Power charged the air, fueling the fire that burned within the Trickster's belly. He smashed the blunt end of his Spear into Thanos' jaw with skull-crushing force, intent to bludgeon the otherworldly being into nonexistence. Thanos' head snapped back with an audible crack, but the Titan righted himself, looking unfazed. He then backhanded Loki, sending him flying back into a wall. Thanos then raised his hand, the one wearing the Gauntlet, and snapped his fingers.

The section of the palace that Loki had landed in, imploded in on itself, then filled with a blinding white light, before exploding outward. Loki wrapped himself in his magic, pulling from both his magic, his Jotunn blood and the Tesseract's power to cloak him in a layer of protective energy as the blast swallowed all around him.

He leapt away from the collapsing area and back to steady, solid floor and let the cloak dissipate. He then unleashed a blast of energy from the Spear.

Thanos batted the blast from the air and sent one back at the Trickster. He laughed, surprised that upstart that had come to him seeking the power to enslave a single world could survive this long against him. He smiled, thinking that their fight would be interesting indeed, and decided to hold back just enough that he could still crush the Trickster, but not kill him with a single hit; he wanted to have some fun with his foe before destroying him.

Just as he thought this, Loki came flying at him, Spear poised to impale him through the chest. Thanos caught the end of the Spear with his hand and twisted, sending Loki flipping through the air. The Trickster was able to catch himself and jump right back into his assault. He slashed down, then back up, then lunged in with the Spear-head. Thanos evaded the first two strikes, then moved back to avoid the third.

Loki snarled and unleashed yet another bolt of energy from the Spear in his hand, then spun, twirling the Spear around to lash out with the blade at Thanos' throat, his hand letting the long handle of the Spear slid out of its grip, then taking hold again at the very end, giving it more reach. The Titan leaned away, avoiding the attack easily, then countering with a power-infused punch with his Gauntleted fist. Loki leapt back as the ground exploded at his feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground once more, he bent his legs and then launched himself back at his foe.

The two combatants met in a flash of sparks and energy discharge from their weapons as they clashed together. Thanos smirked and raised his other arm, then slammed it down into Loki's chest, sending the Jotunn-born Asgardian flying backwards into the wall behind him. He felt the wall give way as he hit it and continued to fly back, colliding with yet another wall, which managed to stop him, leaving only a large dent in the surface. He climbed back to his feet in a flash and charged back, his Spear ready to strike. He came dashing back out of the breach, Spear poised, and lunged at Thanos with a growl. Thanos sidestepped the Spear, but Loki spun again, bringing the blunt end of the Spear around to smash the Titan across the face, sending him through the wall that was behind him.

Loki was about to follow, but was stopped from pursuing when a large beam of energy came flying out at him. He dodged the attack, but it exploded behind him, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and debris. Loki countered with a blast of his own, then jumped through the hole, another blast ready on the tip of his Spear. He fired and slashed out with the Spear, catching Thanos crossed his shoulder with the blade when he tried to dodge the bolt of power. Loki followed through with a hard knee to the chest, toppling the Titan and sending him out through another wall, this time out into the open air high above the city.

Thanos caught himself and began to hover in the air, giving Loki a taunting smile. "Your power has grown great, Laufeyson. But not great enough." He snapped his fingers and the entire building around Loki exploded in a flash of light, before the section crumbled and fell down the side of the building to crash upon the ground far below.

Thanos laughed, watching the destruction before him. He laughed until the smoke cleared, revealing Loki, his armor damaged and his cape tattered, but his body and skin unharmed. Loki smirked and launched out, the remaining piece of structure that he had been standing on falling away as his weight left it. Thanos smiled and flew up over Loki's head, landing high above on the topmost section of the palace. Loki's eyes grew wide as he tried to catch himself with his magic, but he had never had the nack for flying and, even with the extra power from the Tesseract, he could not quite get it to work. He managed to slow his descent a bit, but still continued to fall.

Thanos laughed again, watching his adversary fall, unable to save himself. Then, out of the ruins of the palace, came a red blur that scooped Loki from the air and carried him to safety on a higher part of the palace. Loki looked at Thor as his brother released him, his eyes still wide. "I didn't expect to see you here," Loki said, curious.

"Did you expect me to let you fight this monster alone?" Thor asked chidingly.

Loki shrugged. "Where are Natasha and the others? How is Clint?"

Thor shook his head. "I know not. Last I saw, they were heading back to the Bifrost with Johann. I do not know what the condition of Clint, nor that of Steve." Loki nodded his understanding. Thor looked up at the place where Thanos had landed, seeing his father land in front of the Titan. "Come, brother, we must lend our father a hand."

Loki nodded and felt Thor grab on his his cape, then take them to the air. As they made their descent down onto the roof, Thor released Loki once more, letting him land on the opposite side of Odin than what he had.

The three Asgardians stood facing the towering, nine foot tall Titan, each gripping their weapons tightly, ready to strike at a second's notice. Thanos smirked at them, then raised his hand, drawing in a massive amount of power. The three charged in, intent to keep Thanos from unleashing the attack.

Odin struck first, Gungnir coming down from above while Thor swung Mjolnir in from the side. Loki teleported behind Thanos, lunging at his exposed back with his Spear. Thanos kept building the attack while he countered them. First, he knocked Thor aside with a backhand, then swung back to send Odin backwards, he then spun, deflecting the Spear and unleashed the blast directly into Loki's chest. Loki flew backward, toward the edge of the platform atop the palace that they had been fighting on. The Spear fell from his hands and his helmet flew from around his head as his back hit the floor, sliding backward even further, not slowing.

"BROTHER!" Thor shouted, seeing Loki about to fall. He did not think, simply through Mjolnir to land at the edge of the platform. Loki hit it and latched onto it, his body hanging precariously off the side of the platform, with the ground thousands of feet below. He grit his teeth, pulling himself back up, slowly.

Thor, now unarmed, attacked Thanos with his fist, raining a flurry of blows down on the Titan, who parried or avoided each one, then punched Thor hard across the face, sending him to the floor. Odin picked up where Thor left off, using Gungnir to unleash a great blast of golden energy at Thanos. Thanos raised the Gauntlet and deflected the blast, then returned one of his own, sending Odin off the edge of the platform, with nothing to catch him.

"NO!"

Both Loki and Thor's voices rung out in terrible harmony as their father fell from their sight, his eyes closed and making no move to catch himself with his flight ability. Thanos smiled cruelly at them as Thor charged him again, only to be grabbed around the throat and slammed head-first into the platform, leaving him crumpled in a heap, fighting to retain consciousness.

Thanos turned to where Loki was still hanging, with only Mjolnir's handle to hold him up. Thanos smiled and placed his foot on top of the handle, looking down at Loki disdainfully. "Pathetic," he spat. "You could have joined me, Laufeyson, and I would have spared you. Perhaps I would have even given you Asgard in addition to Earth. But, you chose to fight me, out of some misguided notion. Did you think you were a hero?" He leaned down, looking Loki in the eye. "I'm going to kill you now, along with every last soul on this world, as well as Earth." He raised his hand and prepared to blast Loki from the building to fall to his death. Loki looked passed him to where Thor was. Their eyes met and Loki flicked his to the hammer that was in his hands, and supporting some of Thanos' weight. Thor nodded. "Loki Laufeyson, I offer up your soul as a gift to Death."

Loki growled. "My name, is _ODINSON!_"

Thor pulled Mjolnir to him, dragging Loki with it, taking Thanos off his feet and onto his back. Loki let go of the hammer as soon as he was safely on the platform, then leapt to his feet and grabbed his Spear. Twirled it until it was tip-down and stabbed it down at Thanos. The Titan was barely able to dodge the attack and rolled until he reached the edge. He then cast himself off, taking flight to a different building-top. Loki cursed and ran at the edge, leaping off and aiming himself for the nearest building. He landed with a grunt and then jumped to the next roof. He did this, chasing after Thanos. The Titan stopped atop a long, wide roof, with plenty of room for maneuvering. Loki landed in front of him and the two stared each other down, a light breeze lifting the ends of Loki's hair.

Thanos glared at Loki, angry that he would not give in to defeat. "I could kill you and half of this universe with a snap of my fingers. It would be the ultimate offering to Death."

"Then why haven't you?" Loki asked, keeping his voice even.

Thanos chuckled. "The same reason you did not destroy those pathetic mortals when you had the chance. Humiliation. I will not destroy the worlds, until every last Asgardian, every last mortal bows at my feet. Then, I will erase them." His smile grew colder. "I think I'll save all of those you care about for last. Watch them break under my rule, then, once their spirits are broken, I will kill them slowly, ending with that woman you seem so protective of."

Loki glared and bared his teeth. "Not if I kill you first."

Thanos laughed loudly, as if this were the most absurd thing he had ever heard. "Impossible. Even with your newfound power, you are no match for me. I am the ultimate being, I am a GOD! Immune to harm, and soon, I will be beyond the reach of death itself!"

Loki shook his head in a pitying manner. "You are no god, Thanos. You are a fool. No one, not even we gods are beyond the reach of Death. You are foolish think yourself truly immortal."

Thanos gave him a condescending look. "We shall see."

He fired a blast of energy at Loki just as the Trickster fired one of his own. The two blasts met in the middle, building and combining into an even larger and more powerful orb, then detonated, demolishing the building beneath them and sending the two fighters backwards away from each other.

Loki crashed through another building, coming out the other side to land on the street, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He crawled slowly to his feet, reaching inward to and letting his magic flow through him, healing the few cuts and bruises he had received and rejuvenating his wearied body. This battle had already taken more out of him than what he had expected. With every strike and block reinforced by magic to match Thanos' power, he was draining his power too quickly. He was down to about three quarters of his full power already; much further down than he had wanted to be.

He stepped out of the rubble of the building he had flown through, finding Thanos already standing. Loki felt a swell of hopelessness rise within him, seeing his foe already ready to resume their fight, but a flicker of hope remained when he saw that Thanos had suffered damage as well. He had light burns and bruises on his arms and legs, as well as on his neck and chest, particularly where Clint's arrow had struck him and exploded; that wound was bleeding well. It didn't seem like Thanos cared about the wounds, and was making no attempt to heal them, either that or he did not know how to heal them. He figured on the latter when Thanos frowned and growled, seeing that Loki appeared to have suffered no damage so far.

He gathered another ball of energy in his hand and charged at the Trickster. Loki pulled his magic through him and prepared to counter the attack in the simplest, yet best way he knew how. Thanos slammed the ball of energy into Loki, striking all the way to the ground. He met no resistance. The image of Loki flickered and disappeared when the real Loki attacked from behind, using an energy dagger to stab down into the already open wound that Clint had created with his bow and arrows. Thanos let out a cry as the blade of pure green energy entered his body. Loki released the dagger and teleported in front of the Titan, slashing out with his Spear, giving Thanos a fresh cut on his chest. Thanos lashed out, only to meet air, then pitched forward as Loki appeared behind him again, striking him in the back with the blade, then vanishing again.

Thanos roared in frustration and gathered energy into both of his hands. He caught a glimpse of Loki in front of him and slammed down his hands, creating a massive explosion and leaving a great crater at his feet. Loki was nowhere to be seen. He looked around slowly, searching for the Trickster. He turned to look behind him, and found nothing. Then he turned back the way he had been facing and was met with Loki's Spear to the chest, in the exact spot that the arrow and dagger had pierced him. Before he could react, Loki unleashed a powerful bolt of energy from his Spear, sending Thanos flying backward in a spray of blood and a cloud of dust.

Loki sagged slightly, feeling his body drained. He pulled more power through him, allowing him to appear unfazed and unaffected by the usage of power. He did not hesitate and followed after the wounded Titan.

**XXXX**

Thor landed down on the street far below. He cast his eyes about frantically, searching for his father. He spotted him laying unmoving a few dozen yards away. He ran over to him, dropping Mjolnir at his side and going to his knees. He reached out and gently turned his father over to face. He searched for signs of life, trying to remember what the mortals had done to their comrades to check to see if they were still alive. He remembered that it had involved the neck or wrists, but was unsure how. Experimentally, he placed his fingers to the side of his fathers neck, like he remembered, wondering what he was looking for. When he felt a soft beating under his fingers, his eyes lit up. That must surely mean that Odin was still alive.

He shook him lightly. "Father?" He nudged him. "Father?" He nudged him again, a bit harder this time. "Father?!" Odin did not respond. "Damn," Thor cursed under his breath. He scooped Odin up over his shoulder and called Mjolnir to his hand once more. He was about to take flight when an explosion was heard behind him. He turned and looked over his shoulder, seeing a large, thick column of dust and smoke rising into the air. He shifted Odin's weight on his shoulder. "Hang in there, brother."

He took flight, heading toward the Bifrost. He pushed himself as fast as he could, and landed on the Bridge within moments, just outside the entrance to the Bifrost. "JOHANN!" the Asgardian Prince called out loudly.

A second later, an annoyed looking Johann appeared from inside the Bifrost. He saw the Allfather on Thor shoulder and his eyes grew wide. He ushered Thor inside and ordered him to lay Odin down on a bedroll. Immediately, Johann's fingers went to Odin's neck, just as Thor had done, his face contorted in concentration. After a moment of tense waiting, he sighed and removed his fingers. "He has a pulse. It's faint, but he is in no immediate danger at the moment." He looked up at Thor. "What happened?"

"Thanos," Thor answered simply. When Johann raised a brow at his short answer, Thor sighed. "He hit him with an energy blast, then he fell from the top of the palace all the way to the street."

Johann frowned and turned back to Odin, his brow creased. "I see," he whispered, then muttered under his breath, but Thor only caught the words 'what...' and '...take'. He then stood up. "He'll be fine." He turned to where Amora, the Enchantress, was kneeling with her hands up, supporting a healing orb. "Mr. Barton is a different matter." He walked over to peer down at the archer. "This orb is the only thing keeping him alive. We won't be able to sustain it forever. We need someone to heal him properly, but none of our magic-users have returned yet."

Thor looked down at Barton, feeling remorse and guilt pass through him at the sorry state that his friend and teammate was in. He should have protected him better, then he wouldn't be in this mess. Unable to bear the sight any longer, he turned to Bruce, who was kneeling beside Steve, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. "Will he be alright?" Thor asked the doctor, gesturing to Steve.

Bruce nodded. "Yeah. He came out with only minor injuries, and should be back to normal by the morning."

Thor nodded and looked around. He frowned when he did not find the familiar sight of red hair, nor a man in an iron suit. "Where are Natasha and Tony?"

Bruce frowned. "Tony came back a few minutes ago, he was fine, just a bit dented. He went outside just before you got here. Natasha was outside with Heimdall. Didn't you see her?"

Thor shook his head and turned to go outside and speak to the guardian of the Bifrost. Heimdall was standing with his hands rested on his sword's pommel and looking out toward the city. He did not turn at Thor's approach. "Heimdall, where are Natasha and Tony?" he demanded.

"Don't get your drapes in a twist, Blondie. We're up here." It was not Heimdall, but a voice from behind and above, that answered.

Thor turned to see Tony sitting on top of the Bifrost, his suit keeping him from sliding off the rounded, sloping surface, his helmet removed. Bruce's words had been an understatement. Tony was more than a bit dented, he was dented, scraped and partially cracked in some places. The short battle that they had with Thanos had been a bit chaotic, with all of them that could take a direct hit from him charging in at random intervals and repeatedly being knocked back. Tony had taken a beating.

Higher up, was Natasha, in the strangest form Thor had ever seen her in. She was wearing the helmet to Tony's Iron Man suit, the eyes glowing blue, and looking out toward the city, a long cable connecting the helmet to Tony's suit, one hand on the side of it, as if to steady it, and the other clenched into a fist at her side. Thor cocked his head in wonder, never having seen this feature of the suit before, but he decided not to ask.

Tony, seeing his confused and bewildered expression, followed his eyes and shook his head. "She demanded that I let her use it to watch the battle. It has a zooming function," he explained. "She was pretty adamant about it, and I prefer my manparts where they are." He grimaced slightly at the thought.

Thor did not smile, merely frowned. "I must return to the battle. I cannot let Loki fight this foe alone."

Tony nodded as if this was obvious, "As you've said before," and waved him off with an armored hand.

Thor turned to leave, preparing to take flight, but was stopped by a voice. "Wait!" He turned back, frowning at the slightly robotic-sounding, female voice. Natasha stood up, taking the helmet off and tossing it back to Tony, who barely caught it, muttering curses and obscenities as he did so. Natasha ignored him and slid down from the Bifrost to land smoothly in front of Thor. "I'm going with you," she told him, her voice conveying that she would not take no for an answer.

Thor's frown deepened. "I do not think that that would be the best idea."

Natasha looked at him with fire in her eyes. "I don't care! I can't just sit here and do nothing while Loki is out there fighting."

Thor shook his head. "I won't allow it. You are mortal. You cannot face this foe and live." He did not mean for the words to sound so harsh, but he had to make her understand that she would do no one any good if she got herself killed.

Natasha's glare darkened, her pride taking offence at Thor's words. "I'm some helpless damsel that can't take care of herself, Thor! I'm not weak!"

Thor sighed. "I did not say that. But, I don't want to face Loki if something happens to you." He softened his gaze. "I know that you want to help, but you are no use to anyone dead. And Thanos will kill you, without hesitation."

Natasha's eyes narrowed up at him, her jaw set firmly and Thor could tell that she was not happy at all. She was a fighter, and this was a battle, she needed to be out there where she could be of use, not cooped up in the Bifrost like a frightened child. Thor held his stance resolutely, his expression practically screaming that he would not budge on this decision. There was a silent battle of wills before Natasha simply turned and to go back inside the Bifrost. Thor watched her go, saddened by the fact that his friends felt so helpless, even Tony and Bruce, they just wouldn't admit it. He sighed again and turned back to the city. He began to twirl Mjolnir and took to the skies.

**XXXX**

Loki caught sight of Thanos struggling to his feet. The Titan swayed, then bent down to pick something up. It took a moment for Loki to realize what it was: his arm. The Mad Titan was standing before him with his dark blood pouring out of him from where Loki's attack had torn his arm and part of his shoulder from his body. Thanos hissed in pain as he placed the burned and bloodied stump to the arm in his hand and the skin began to stitch itself back together. Loki looked on in silent disgust.

Thanos smiled at him. "You see? This is my power. The moment that I put this gauntlet around my wrist, I became the absolute being. Time and Death were undone and set aside. I am above them, beyond them. They are nothing to me, but mere shadows that will never reach me!"

Loki scowled at the arrogance that Thanos was portraying. _**The power of the Gauntlet has gone to his head. He is now truly mad.**_

Loki stood silently, waiting for Thanos to make his move. But it was neither Thanos nor Loki that struck first. A rush of air and a dull thud were heard as Thanos was knocked off his feet by a blocky, short-handled hammer. Mjolnir. Loki turned to find Thor hovering above him, his arm extended. Mjolnir came flying back to him in a blur. He landed beside Loki and the two nodded to each other. "Let us end this, brother," Thor said.

Loki cocked his head. "So soon? And I was just starting to have fun." He smirked, seeing Thanos' many wounds slowing him down as he regained his feet. Thor nodded in an impatient manner, letting his lips quirk a bit at Loki's jesting. "Fine, fine. But let's take this to higher ground, shall we?" Loki upward as Thanos took to the air again, flying to the top of a tall building nearby, most likely looking to regroup himself.

"Need a lift?" Thor asked.

Loki looked at his boots, then shrugged. "Why not?" He was acting nonchalant, but he was now nearing half-power and he was wary of using too much.

Thor took hold of Loki's cloak and flew up to where Thanos was waiting. He fired a blast at them, but Loki and Thor avoided it and charged in from the flanks to attack Thanos from different angles. They rained down a ferocious flurry of blows on the massive being, Thor taking advantage of Thanos' injury and pummeling the wounded shoulder with Mjolnir. Thanos tried to fend them off, but found that his strength and speed were draining fast, the damage done to his body taking its toll on him.

Loki slashed out with the Spear, leaving a long gash across Thanos' face. The Titan howled in pain and batted Loki back with the back of his Gauntleted hand. Loki flew back, and used the momentum of his fall to roll back to his feet and leap back into the fray. He attacked low this time, drawing Thanos' attention to him, just as Thor pulled lightning into his hammer and smashed it down into Thanos' injured shoulder with devastating force. Lightning arched out, forcing them all back, away from each other. Once the lightning dissipated, they all stood watching each other.

There was pool of dark blood at the Titan's feet, dripping down from his shoulder wound. He growled and unleashed a blast of energy at them, then turned and flew up toward the top of the palace, which was directly next to the building that they had been on. Loki and Thor dodged it and went after him, Thor flying, and Loki using different balconies of the palace as stepping stones to launch himself higher up.

As they neared the top, Loki unleashed a powerful bolt of energy from his Spear. It flew up and hit the Titan in the back, detonating and blowing apart a section of the platform at the top, causing a bit of the palace below it to crumble away.

Thanos twisted in the air and spun about, unleashing multiple blasts of energy at Loki and Thor, who where able to bat them aside and rush once more into the fray. Thanos grabbed Loki by the throat and threw him, flipping head over heels out into the open air far above the city and Loki felt his stomach clench as he entered free-fall. Thor growled and let out a mighty war cry as he saw his brother thrown aside and ignored by this being, left to die. He lashed out with blinding speed, Mjolnir crashing hard against Thanos' arms as the Titan parried and blocked his onslaught.

Loki careened through the air, the wind and changing air currents whipping him about, making it difficult to discern which way was up and which was down. His breath was short and his mind was a blur of panic-induced thoughts that he could not make heads or tails of. He growled and first focused on clearing his head. He was having little luck though.

On one of the many flips that he underwent during his fall, he was able to see the rapidly approaching ground. Something inside him twisted and he felt the cold begin to creep through him. Instead of fighting it, as he normally would have, he embraced it and let it fill him, his own magic coiling around it like a snake. _**Focus...focus...FOCUS!**_ _**Remember everything you read, come ON!**_ He worked his magic through his body, forcing himself to gain some semblance of balance, righting himself in the air. Once he was facing the correct way up, he refocused his magic, remembering the diagrams that he had studied so extensively during his training. He sent the mist of his magic into his feet, with just enough throughout the rest of him to keep him balanced. He pushed his magic into action, hoping that this time it would work. He could feel himself begin to slow down in the air, this being as far as he had ever managed to get, and tried to push it further. He slowed even further, and further, until he came to a sudden, jarring halt. For a moment, he thought that he had slammed into the ground, but when he looked down, he could see the streets still about twenty feet below him. He breathed a sigh of relief and let himself drop the rest of the way to the ground. He had used too much power in trying to stop himself, and he knew that he would still need that power to enhance his movements as he jumped back up to the top of the palace again.

He set his sights on his destination and leapt into the air, using the surrounding buildings like stepping stones.

Thor called down a bolt of intense lightning, that struck down, tearing away a large section of the platform, but Thanos was able to emerge with little harm done. Thanos struck out with his Gauntlet-clad fist and smashed Thor hard on the side of his face. The Thunderer stumbled, and Thanos struck again, and again, and again, until Thor was kneeling on the platform, his face stained with blood and his breath coming in gasps. He raised his fist again for yet another devastating blow, when He felt a stab of pain in his middle as Loki came vaulting over the edge of the platform and lunged in with his Spear, skewering the Titan on the tip, then unleashing a blast of energy out of it.

Thanos flipped through the air and landed with a pained grunt at the far end of the platform, his arms and head protruding out past the edge. Loki rushed over to him, his magic-enhanced movement a blur to the eye, and stomped is booted heel into Thanos' chest, just above where he had impaled him, winding the Titan and making a small bit of blood gush out of the wound. He then put the tip of the Spear to his still-bleeding wound. The tip began to glow, then a blast tore the weak flesh asunder once more. The severed appendage fell away to land far below. Thanos screamed in pain and tried to rise, but Loki stomped down on his chest again and held it there. "Thor," he called firmly. Thor came up to stand next to him and looked at him in question. Loki tapped his foot on Thanos' chest and Thor's eyes lit up with understanding. Without hesitation, he dropped Mjolnir down on the Titan's chest and Loki removed his foot. He put the tip of his Spear to Thanos' throat, the Titan glaring up at him. Loki shivered as a cold wind blew passed him.

**XXXX**

Thanos felt the cool metal of the Spear's tip touch his throat. He glared defiantly back at the Trickster. He would pay for this. When he got free of this, he would tear both him and his brother apart, piece by wretched piece! If only he could get out from under this blasted hammer! He reached his only remaining arm up to try and shove the offending weapon off of him, but found that it would not budge, no matter how much power he used to try and move it. The Trickster smirked at him, infuriating him even more. He struggled harder.

He felt a cold wind blow over him and froze. A dark figure appeared over him, standing at Loki's side. The Trickster did not seem to notice the figure as it stared down at him. After a moment, the features became clear. A skeletal face smiled down at him, hollow, empty, globeless eyes stared into his eyes, into his soul. The face had a strangely feminine appearance to it.

_"Thanos..." _a soft, cold, whispery voice spoke, sounding like it was coming from inside his head. _"...Your time has come..." _His eyes widened as a bony hand reached down and clasped him around the neck. He instantly fell still, his body no longer responding to his commands. _"You thought yourself beyond my reach...yet here you are...in my grip...Goodbye...Thanos..."_

**XXXX**

Loki saw Thanos go still at his feet. The tip of the Spear began to glow brightly as the cold wind circled them, making his cape billow out behind him and the ends of his hair dance around before his eyes.

He glared down at the Titan with a deadly glare. The tip glew brighter, until it was nearly blinding. He bared his teeth, then flicked his wrist. The bolt of blue energy flashed out, causing a small explosion. Thanos' body shuddered but did not move, thanks to Thor's conveniently place hammer. When the light clear, Loki was met with the sight of Thanos' headless corpse. The neck had been cauterised by the blast and no blood leaked from it. The cold wind stilled and dissipated.

Thor grimaced and cleared his throat, disturbed slightly by what he had just seen; never had he seen Loki look more fearsome than he had in that moment, just before he dealt the deathblow.

He stepped forward, looking at Loki out of the corner of his eye, seeing his brother's shoulders go limp and his fatigue seemed to suddenly catch up with him. Thor placed his hand on Loki's back, steadying him as he swayed on his feet, then bent down and removed the Gauntlet from Thanos' dead arm. He lifted it up and stared down at the gems glowing on the back of the palm. He sighed and shook his head. "So much trouble, for this."

Loki looked at him and shook his head. "Not just for that, I think." He looked down grimly. "It was me he was after, as well. I failed to take Earth, and it lost him his army and flagship. They came to kill me and take our home." He sighed. "Thanos was always power-hungry. He would have come either way, eventually. My mistakes only hastened his invasion. He also wanted the Tesseract, and now I understand why. The power of the Tesseract combined with the Infinity Gauntlet would have made him unstoppable, but even so, alone, what I was given was almost not enough."

Thor clapped his younger brother on the shoulder. "But, we defeated him, together. We saved our home, our friends, our family, everyone. We overcame, dearest brother. We won, and we did it together."

Loki met his eyes, and gave a light smile at Thor's words. "Yes, we did."

Thor smiled and pulled his brother into an embrace. Loki did not hesitate this time, and returned it. After a long moment, Thor stepped back, his hand still on Loki's shoulder. "Come, Loki, let us return to the others. The battle is won, but we still have wounded to attend to."

Loki nodded and held out his hand. Thor grasped his forearm and Loki teleported them back to the Bifrost.

The moment they arrived, Loki was nearly tackled in a massive hug from a bullet wearing red hair and black Kevlar. Natasha clung to him, her arms around his neck and her head rested against the crook of his neck. "You made it! You made it!" she said softly into him. Loki's arms came up around her and held her closer to him as she continued to whisper softly into his neck. He did not mind, he simply held her and whispered soothing words in her ear. A sort moment later, she calmed and pulled back, looking up at him. No words passed their lips as he bent down and captured hers in a soft, tender kiss.

A shout drew them apart. "PRINCE LOKI!"

They turned to find Johann looking at them impatiently. He motioned Loki inside the Bifrost urgently. Natasha gasped and a hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god! Clint!"

Loki appeared confused, but Natasha did not wait to explain and simply pulled him along behind her as she hurried into the Bifrost.

Loki was shocked at what her found. Clint Barton was laying on a bedroll, with a golden healing orb around him. Loki dropped to his knees at the archer's side. "What happened? What is wrong with him?" he demanded of Johann, who looked annoyed at Loki's tone.

"He has lost a lot of blood and had a punctured lung. We fixed his lung and ribs, but his heart is giving out," the short-haired Asgardian informed him. "We need you to heal him while Amora keeps him stable.

Loki nodded and set his Spear aside, then raised his hands, coating them in soft blue energy. As he lowered his hands into the golden orb, Clint's eyes snapped open. He looked strangely peaceful, staring past them at something only he could see. Loki cursed under his breath and began to pour his energy into Clint, his magic working to strengthen his heart and heal any damage that Amora may had missed. After few minutes of this, his eyes slipped closed again with a sigh. Loki lowered his hands and slumped, the fell onto his back.

Natasha almost yelped but was able to catch the sound before it escaped her lips. She frowned and dropped to his side, immediately checking his pulse while hiding her worry. Loki could easily see it and chuckled and reached up to brush her hand aside. "I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."

Natasha nodded in relief. "And Clint?"

Loki smiled comfortingly. "He'll be fine. More than fine actually. I was scared that I was going to lose him for a moment there, but I was able to save him."

Bruce frowned. "You almost lost him? When? He seemed fine to me."

Loki sighed. "When he opened his eyes, he looked too peaceful." He hesitated a moment. "He was seeing the Valkyries."

Bruce tilted his head in confusion, and Tony, whom Loki had not realized had entered the room, spoke up. "What the hell is a Vlaky-whatever?"

Loki furrowed his brow humorless at Tony. "The _Valkyrie_," he stressed the word, "are the handmaidens of Valhalla. They come to collect the souls of warriors felled in battle. Only the dying can see them, and Clint saw them. They had come for him, but I was able to heal him before they could collect his soul. He is sleeping now, peacefully." He felt glad, saying that last part.

Amora let the orb drop and slumped forward in weariness. Loki paid her not a single glance and turned his gaze back up to Natasha, who did not miss this fact. She smiled brightly down at him and then laid herself next to him, her head resting on his armored chest. It wasn't very comfortable. Loki seemed to read her mind and his clothing changed to simple Asgardian, consisting of a loose green tunic over black leather pants. Natasha sighed in contentment and closed her eyes, Loki wrapping his arm around her. Loki didn't care that they were laying on the hard floor of the Bifrost, and just laid there with Natasha as everyone went about their own business in the Bifrost, not missing the subtle, but longing glance that Amora cast at Johann as she made her way across the room. He shook his head, deciding that he didn't want to know what was going through her head.

They laid there, Natasha dozing off and Loki thinking with his eyes closed. Loki felt someone lift his head from the ground and his eyes snapped open. Something soft was placed under his head as he caught sight of Thor. His brother then laid a soft blanket over them, gave his brother a smile then walked away, more pillows and blankets in his arms. _**Where did he get those?**_ he wondered, but then decided that it didn't matter. He breathed a soft laugh, then let his eyes slip closed again. It wasn't long before he slipped from the waking world.

Natasha nuzzled closer to Loki as she too began to fall into sleep. She thought back over the events of that day, and realized with some frustration that she had not been of much use at all. She sighed and pushed that thought from her mind. It had been a long, hard day, and she felt that they deserved a long, uninterrupted nap; Loki and Thor in particular; they _had_ done the most out of all of them, with Loki having done the most. He had ridden to Hel in the middle of the night, then come back to fight and defeat Thanos.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him lazily, yet admiringly. His face was relaxed and peaceful, a stark contrast to his usual mischievous smirk. She liked seeing him like this, so relaxed and open. It showed the real man underneath the mask that he presented. In this moment, her own mask was let down, though no one noticed, as she preferred it.

She gave a contented sigh and closed her eyes once more, letting herself fall asleep in Loki's arms again. The last thought that crossed her mind was that she was happy, and so grateful that she had been given a chance at happiness with this man, and that she wished that she could stay like that forever.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Another chapter down. Hope you enjoyed it. Only one more to go: the Epilogue. I hope you all enjoyed this. Review but don't flame.**

**This chapter was really difficult to write in a way that I was happy with, but I feel that I put forth my best effort to make it as great a chapter as I could possible manage. First of all, I wanted this chapter to feel like it was the biggest, not just in length but in content. Writing Loki's fight with Thanos was probably the hardest part of this. I had to make it believable that Loki, after having received power from the Tesseract, could be a match for a being that, in the comics, pretty much erased half of the universe from existence with a snap of his fingers, and come up with a believable reason why he hadn't done that already. To get an idea for this, I watched the Cloud vs Sephiroth fight from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and the Frank Castle vs The Russian fight from the Punisher (2004). I'm not sure how well I accomplished this, but I hope my efforts were not in vain.**

**Until next time.**

**- Atrocity.**


	26. Epilogue: We Are One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or anything else that I recognizable.**

**A/N: Here it is. The Epilogue. I hope that you have all enjoyed this story, and I would like to thank everyone that left a review, or favorited this story. I hope that this chapter ends things well. Enjoy.**

**Redemption**

**by**

**I Am Atrocity**

**Epilogue: We Are One**

**'We walk alone in the unknown, we live to win another victory. We are the young dying sons, we live to change the face of history. Don't be afraid, it's the price we pay. The only easy day was yesterday. So hear our voice, we have a choice. It's time to face it. We are one, we will stand together. Number one! The chosen ones. We are one, we will fight forever. We are one and we won't die young! We are the bold united souls, we live to win another victory. Our sacred scars show who we are, they tell the story of our memories. Don't be afraid, it's the price we pay. The only easy day was yesterday. So hear our voice, we have a choice. It's time to face it. We are one!'**

**- We Are One by 12 Stones.**

Loki walked down the the streets of Asgard, dressed in his casual clothing of a dark green tunic and his usual black pants and boots. He had a determined look on his face. He neared the gates of the city and smiled when he saw Sleipnir waiting just inside the gate. He walked up to the great eight-legged horse and gently stroked his mane and patted his neck. "Hey there, Sleipnir, my bonny boy. Ready for a short ride?"

The horse tossed his head and made a consenting sound. Loki smiled and put his foot in the stirrup, then mounted the saddle. He took a moment to adjust himself, then tapped his heels lightly, sending Sleipnir into a trot. They moved across the Bridge at a steady pace, in no real hurry to reach the Bifrost.

He was going to retrieve the Tesseract from earth, a task he had volunteered for. He looked backwards at the city behind him, seeing the damage that had been done in the battle. He could also see countless individuals moving about, either gathering the dead Chitauri, or helping with the repairs that had already begun. Up near the top of the palace, he could see a figure flying about, carrying large pieces of materials to repair the palace with. It was Tony in his Iron Man armor.

All of the Avengers had opted to stay and help out in any way they could, Tony with repairs, Bruce with the wounded, Thor was helping keep order while Odin was still recovering in the medical wing of the palace, which had not been damaged during the battle. Both Steve and Clint had been moved there as well. As expected, they had woken that morning, but Bruce had forced them to remain on bed-rest for a while longer, much to their displeasure. Natasha was going around with Sif and inspecting the areas around the palace, making notes of what materials they would need and documenting the damage done.

He reached the Bifrost and dismounted. He approached the ever-vigilant and stoic guardian with a smile. "Good Heimdall-"

"You aren't dressed properly," Heimdall cut him off.

Loki froze, confused, and cocked his head. "I'm sorry?"

Heimdall met his eyes. "You are going to Midgard. You need to dress like a mortal, so as not to draw too much attention to yourself."

Loki looked down at himself and let out a huff. He cocked his head. "Perhaps, but I haven't tried to blend in before, so why start now?"

Heimdall looked as though he wanted to roll his eyes, but seemed to retrain the action. Instead he turned to enter the Bifrost, with Loki following behind with a smirk on his face. He stood in front of the portal and waited with his hands on his hips. He did not carry his Scepter, having decided to store it away like he had done the Casket of Ancient Winters before, so as to not have to carry it at all times.

The portal flared to life, and Loki was surrounded by light as he was pulled into the opening. After the usual blur of color, he landed, once again, in the park in New York. He sighed, looking around as people shied away, some pointing and whispering to each other in hushed voices. He ignored the looks he received and teleported himself to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York base. He appeared in the control room, directly in front of Nick Fury, who did not so much as flinch at his sudden arrival, merely blinked his good eye twice. "I assume all went well, then?" Fury asked.

Loki frowned, having been expecting more of a response. "As well as could be expected," Loki told him. "We defeated Thanos, but Rogers and Barton were injured. We also have extensive repairs to see to, which is why I have come for the Tesseract."

Fury nodded and began to walk from the room. Loki followed close behind. They went down, into the bunker and stopped before the blank wall that hid the secret storage room where the Tesseract was being kept. Fury went through the long security process and the door hissed open. Loki walked inside, seeing the glowing cube sitting exactly where he had left it the last time he had been in the room.

He stepped up to its pedestal and looked down at it. He knew that he would have to return the power that it had lent him, but, for some reason, he hesitated. He could feeling that power flowing through him at that very moment, pulsing in time with his own heartbeat, reaching to every inch of his being, making him feel like he could do anything, like he was fully alive. He looked at the Cube, wondering why he must return that power. Why couldn't he keep it?

His hand began to shake and he clenched his fist. He knew why. It was for that very reason right there. If he did not return it, he would not want to ever give it up, he would become reliant on it, and then he would want more, and more, and eventually, like Thanos, he would go mad with power and become something he never wanted to be: a monster. He had made an oath, that he would give back the power given to him once Thanos was dead. He was dead, and the time had come to honor that oath.

He summoned his Scepter and raised it toward the Tesseract. He stilled for a moment longer, unsure, then the Scepter's stone pulsed, as though the Scepter were willing him on. He sighed and pressed the tip of the Scepter to the Tesseract.

He felt the raw power of the Tesseract enter his body as his eyes changed from their normal blue-green to black, then to pale blue. His body filled with warmth, but not the fire-like pain that he had been expecting. A soft, feminine laugh echoed through his mind, confusing him. _"Loki, welcome back,"_ the Tesseract greeted him. _"You have returned to me, as you promised you would. I had faith in you, and am glad to see that it was not misplaced."_

Loki thought of the moment before, when he had hesitated. _**I almost did not.**_

_"I know, Loki, I know. But, you saw passed your own greed and into your heart, and here you are. Power corrupts all who wield it, just in different ways. It was lucky that you only had my power for a short time, otherwise, we may have lost you. But that does not matter any longer. Your return has assured me of that."_

_**So, what happens now?**_

_ "I will take the power I lent you back into myself, and you will return the both of us to Asgard, where we belong. Too long have dwelled upon this world, far from my home, I long to return."_

_**Asgard was greatly damaged in the battle, and I know that my Father will seek your power to rebuild it again.**_

_ "I will lend my power to the restoration of Asgard, just as I did for the Bifrost. You father, Odin, has always honored his oath and only used my power to build, never to destroy, and then returned it to me. I do not seek destruction, but Thanos had to be stopped before he destroyed all. I have no regrets."_

_**Nor do I.**_

_ "Let us depart."_

Loki felt the power exit from him, taking with it the power that had been granted to him. He sighed and reached inward, feeling his own magic once more, but there was a bit of the Tesseract's power still within him. He furrowed his brow in confusion. _"A gift I give to you, for all that you've done..."_ A faint whisper said in his ear. The Scepter pulsed again and Loki smiled down at it. "Thank you."

He reached out and took hold of the Tesseract, lifting it from the surface that it had rested on. He turned around to find Fury waiting with an empty silver briefcase in his hand. He held it open for Loki and the Asgardian Prince gently placed the Tesseract inside the slot provided. He closed and sealed the case, then took hold of the handle. He nodded to Fury and walked past him, the briefcase in his hand, teleporting from the hallway outside, back to the park.

Again, his sudden appearance did not go unnoticed. He smirked and looked up at the sky. "Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"

A bright beam of light came down and swallowed him up, lifting him away from the Earth as the mortals looked on in silent fear and awe.

He reappeared in the Bifrost's main chamber and nodded to Heimdall before heading back outside. He placed the briefcase in the saddlebag that had been provided and then mounted the horse. "Feel like running, Sleipnir?"

Sleipnir whinnied and reared, then took off into a gallop, eight hooves pounding in rhythm over the Bridge. They rode all the way to the palace courtyard, where Thor was waiting for them. Loki dismounted gracefully and withdrew the briefcase that held the Tesseract. He walked over to Thor and held it out to him. Thor looked at it and took it with a grateful nod. "Thank you, brother. Did you have any trouble?"

Loki shook his head. "None."

Thor nodded. "Good." The two walked into the throne room, where repairs were already underway on the pillars. Loki's eyes fell on the Throne, still sitting at the far end of the room, untouched, unharmed. He had a strange feeling about that. "Odd, that with all of the destruction done here, the Throne was untouched," he said, his eyes still on the golden chair.

"A sign, my brother," Thor said, smiling. "A sign that Asgard will endure."

"Until Ragnarök come," Loki added.

Thor nodded. "Yes, until Ragnarök come..." he trailed off thoughtfully, worrying Loki slightly.

"Is there something wrong, brother?" the Trickster asked.

Thor looked at him in confusion, then shook his head. "No, no. Just thinking."

"Norns help us," Loki sighed dramatically.

Thor pushed him, laughing. "Now, now, brother, you aren't the only one that can come up with brilliant ideas, you know."

Loki held up a finger. "True, _but_, mine tend to be the only ones that actually work." Thor shook his head and did not counter those words. Loki looked passed the Throne, up toward the stairs that led to the royal quarters. "Have you checked our rooms yet?"

Thor nodded.

"What was the damage?"

"Only mother and father's rooms were damaged."

Loki nodded, and started in that direction. "I'm going to my room for a bit. I'll see you later, Thor."

Thor nodded and Loki set off. He climbed the stairs and made his way down the hall to his door. He pushed it open and stepped into the darkness. He waved his hand and the torches around the room flared to life, illuminating the entire space.

The room was exactly as he had left it, not a single item out of place. He walked over to his desk and looked down at what lay there. There was a thick tome, detailing the basics and theories of sustaining flight with magic. He had been trying to achieve this goal before the whole Jotunheim Incident. He ran his fingers over the hard leather cover and traced the intricate gold designs there. He moved on from the desk over to his bookshelf, which was stuffed full of tomes like the one that was on his desk, some about magic, others about history, and others simply tales of great warriors from ages past, both Asgardian and Midgardian. He lifted one from the shelf and ran his hand over the cover, looking at the runes inlayed there, and the design beneath them. It was a text about the Nine Realms, and their histories. The design was a golden tree, Yggdrasil, the Tree of the World. As he looked at it, taking in the golden lines that made up the branches and the roots, an idea began to form in his head.

He placed the book back on the shelf and turned to leave his room. He hurried out of the palace and out into the sprawling gardens, using the entrance closest to his destination, which was through the area that housed the tree that he had been imprisoned in. He barely cast a glance at it as he passed, but froze when he saw a familiar head of red hair. Natasha was sitting, looking up at the tree, appearing to be in thought. She had not noticed him.

Loki sighed and continued walking. He soon entered a different part of the garden, one where the trees were much older. He approached the most ancient of them and waited for the tree's keeper to appear. A moment passed before a young-looking, beautiful blonde woman with soft, yet wise blue eyes stepped out of the surrounding foliage. "Loki," she greeted in her soft voice.

Loki inclined his head to her in respect. "Idunn."

"What brings you to my garden, my Prince?" Idunn asked, looking at him inquiringly.

Loki sighed. "I need one of your apples, Idunn."

Idunn studied him closely, looking into his eyes, trying to judge his intentions. After a long moment of silence, she turned to the ancient tree and reached up to its branches, plucking one of the sweet, succulent, golden-yellow skinned apples from its place. She turned back to him and walked directly up to him. She held out the apple, and Loki closed his hand over it, waiting for her to release it from her grip. She met his eyes again, seeming to search once more, then she nodded and released the apple. Loki nodded his thanks and left the way he had come.

**XXXX**

Johann walked out of the medical wing, having just finished his final check up of Clint Barton, and walked out of the palace. He made his way through the streets, passing many Asgardians that were hard at work preparing to repair the city.

He made it to his home, not far from the palace, finding it, surprisingly, still intact, and entered. He walked to his bedroom, and knelt in front of a locked chest, resting his hands on the lid. He undid the lock and set it aside, then prepared to open the chest.

He lifted the lid slowly, then gazed down at the contents of the chest. He reached in and lifted out the black leather outfit, and his eyes fell on the symbol emblazoned on the upper arms. A red skull with tentacles coming off of it. He ran his fingers over it and sighed.

When he had first awoken here, on Asgard, he had not remembered much, and had not for many years to come. When he looked in the mirror, he saw the new, healthy flesh that had been magically grown over his badly scarred face, but he would always get flashes of a man with a red, skull-like head and face staring back at him. It had been years before the memories came back to him and he remembered who he was: Johann Schmidt, head of HYDRA, Hitler's secret research division, born in a small village in Germany to Hermann and Martha Schmidt. His mother had died giving birth to him. His father had been enraged and tried to drown him, but was stopped by the doctor that had delivered him. The next day, his father had committed suicide. He had grown up in an orphanage until he was seven, when he had run away. Then he went to the reformatory until he was nine, and he ran away again. The rest of his childhood was spent either on the streets as a thief and beggar, or in prison.

When he was a young man, he had taken his first life. Her name had been Esther, and she was the daughter of a Jewish shopkeeper that he had worked for at the time. During a Nazi riot in Berlin, the shopkeeper had asked him to protect Esther, and he had done so, but in a fit of rage, he had killed her. He had fled the scene after taking all of the money from the shop's register, horrified by what he had done. But he felt a strange elation at having killed a human being.

Years later, when the Nazi party had risen to power in Germany, he had been working in a hotel as a bell boy. One day, the head of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler, had checked into the hotel for the night. He had been charged with the duty of bringing refreshments up to the _Führer_. During that meeting, Hitler had taken him under his wing, making him his right-hand. He had taken up training him personally, once his subordinates proved to not be up to the task, and gifted him with a mask, a life-like, red skull. From that day on, he was known as the Red Skull and was answerable only to Hitler himself.

For years he had spread fear through the Allied forces, a source of great pride for Hitler. Hitler had financed the construction of secret bases throughout Europe for him, founding HYDRA to exercise his desire for power and creation of new, powerful weapons of war. During this time, he kidnapped and killed several of Hitler's advisers, until he was the second most powerful man in Nazi Germany. It was around this time that Hitler began to fear him and seek ways to remove him. When he had heard of Dr. Abraham Erskine's super soldier serum, he had sought out the Doctor and forced him to give him the serum. The serum had made him stronger, but had burned away his skin, leaving him with a red, skull-like face. He had then discarded the mask that Hitler had given him, instead having one made that was a life-like rendition of his original face. Seeing what he had become, Hitler revoked him of his SS status and sent him into his secret bases as the head of HYDRA, an exile, because he no longer resembled Hitler's idea of Aryan perfection.

Well, that was all he really remembered anyway.

He clenched his fist, and let the uniform fall back into the trunk, then locked it again. He would rise to power again, but not yet.

He walked over to the mirror that hung on the wall, and gazed his reflection. His fingers came up to touch his face, feeling the skin underneath them. The Asgardians had healed him, restored him, and he had lived amongst them, as a god, for over seventy years.

He had barely controlled himself when he had laid eyes on Captain Rogers again after so long, but he had managed and had managed to stay out of the way and out of sight during their time on Earth, until the battle. He had been surprised to see how much the world had changed since the last time he had been there, and he had felt a strange sense of satisfaction when he had learned that Hitler had been defeated in the war. He had felt the old, familiar urge to try and take over the world again, but had dismissed the idea, remembering that Loki, who was greatly stronger than he was, had tried and failed. As he had seen during the battle, the Avengers were not a team to be trifled with lightly. He had long harbored a desire to rule Asgard, but he knew that Odin could crush him easily. Not to say that that idea had been discarded, no, merely set aside for now, until the time was right.

He walked over to a large wardrobe that was taller than he was and opened the doors. He pushed his clothing to the sides and place his hands on the back wall, giving it a firm push. With a light scraping sound, the back panel slid aside and revealed a small staircase that led down. He came to what appeared to be a plain stone wall and gave it an even firmer push, and it too slid open with a louder scraping noise. Beyond this was a dimly lit room with a desk and wall of diagrams off to one side. Several black cases sitting stacked against one wall, with large S.H.I.E.L.D. emblems emblazoned on the sides.

He went to the desk and opened one of the drawers and pulled out what appeared to be a pair of simple metal cuffs. He placed them on the desk and began to gather various tools from around the room. He had work to do.

**XXXX**

Loki came to stand behind Natasha, who was still sitting in front of his tree. "What brings you here?" he asked, looking up at the branches that he had long inhabited, wondering if she knew where she was.

Natasha looked up at him and smiled. She was glad that they were out here, away from everyone else, where she could discard the mask and let herself show her emotions freely. "I don't know, but it's peaceful here. That, and I feel safe here."

Loki looked down at her and raised and eyebrow at this. "Safe? How so?"

Natasha sighed and looked back to the tree. "This tree saved my life," she told him, making his cock his head in confusion. "During the battle, when the ship was destroyed, a piece of the debris was about to kill me, but the branches stopped it and kept it from hurting me."

Loki turned his eyes back to the tree in wonder. "How?" was all he asked.

Natasha shrugged. "I don't know, but, your father seems to think that some of your magic still empowers the tree, left over from when you were trapped inside."

Loki nodded. So, she _did_ know what tree this was. "I see. Well," he lowered himself down next to her, "then I owe it thanks and eternal gratitude."

Natasha smiled at him and leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. Loki's arm went around her and he leaned his own head down to rest atop hers. After a long moment of comfortable silence, Loki spoke again. "I have something for you, Natasha."

Natasha leaned back as Loki took his arm from around her shoulders and looked up at him. "What is it?"

Loki smiled and laughed nervously, averting his eyes downward. "Well, it's a...it's a gift. A very special one." Natasha silently urged him to continue, curious as to what gift Loki was going to give her. He lifted his other hand, that had remained out of sight by his side, and revealed a golden apple. She gazed at it in wonder, then looked up to Loki again, not understanding. "This is an Apple of Idunn. They only grow here on Asgard, in Idunn's garden. These apples are what give us our eternal youth and vigour. We all eventually grow old, like my father has, but it takes many thousands of years, so long as we eat these apples once a year. If given to a mortal, they will become like us." He reached up and cupped her cheek. "Natasha, I love you more than I have ever loved anything or anyone, and I could not bear to see you go from me, and would like to offer you the chance to stay here, on Asgard, with me." He offered her the Apple silently, his eyes betraying his fear that she would refuse.

Natasha was stunned. Of everything that she had expected, this was not it. She looked at the Apple that Loki held out to her, wanting so desperately to take it, yet part of her was afraid. If she took it, she would become immortal, like Loki, but she would have to watch all of her friends die as mortals. She knew that Loki was offering her this because he felt that same fear for her. He did not want to have to see her die, as an old woman, down on Earth, when she could stay here with him, as a goddess, forever.

Loki saw her hesitation and assumed that she did not wish for this gift. He sighed and let his eyes drop, feeling a cold, heavy weight grow in his chest. His hand began to drop, but was stopped when a smaller hand closed around his. He looked back up slowly, to find Natasha smiling at him through teary eyes. Slowly, she took the Apple from his grasp and brought it to herself. She prepared to take a bite. "Natasha." She stopped, and her eyes sought his. "Don't do this, unless it is what you truly want. I only want you to be happy, so don't do this for my sake."

Natasha stared him in the eye for a moment longer, then sunk her teeth into the soft, sweet Apple. She chewed, and swallowed the first bite, then repeated the process until all that was left was the core. She let the core drop, feeling strange. Then she seemed to glow lightly, and she gasped. Loki watched on, knowing that she was alright, having seen this once before when they had given Johann his first Apple, he also knew that she would feel rejuvenated when the glow had faded and the power of the Apple to seed in her. It would take a while for her body to adjust and reconfigure itself from human to goddess, but she would be stronger and healthier for it; not that she wasn't already, but she would soon be far superior to any mortal on Earth, near the speed and strength of Captain Rogers, just without the physical growth.

A short time later, the glow faded back into the skin and she smiled at him, then moved toward him, bringing her mouth up to his in an impassioned kiss. Loki wrapped his arms around her, feeling the heaviness in his chest disappear. He now felt light and full of joy. "I'm yours, Loki, and you're mine, forever," she whispered against his lips.

Loki smiled into the kiss, then pulled back just enough to whisper back. "We are one, now, until Ragnarök come."

**XXXX**

Loki entered the healing room a short time later, with Natasha in tow. He made his way toward the cubical-like room that Clint was in. He stepped up to the curtained off area and listened, seeing if there was anyone else in the room with Clint. When he was greeted with only silence, he pulled the curtain back, letting Natasha enter first, then followed after her.

Clint was laying on a small bed, made for only one person, and staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression. At the soft rustling sound made by the curtains when they were move, he looked up at them, his eyes showing surprise. "Natasha? Loki?"

Natasha smiled and rushed forward to give Clint a hug, while Loki walked behind her with a smirk. "How are you feeling, Clint?" Natasha asked, her voice calm and even, but still with a hint of worry.

Clint gave her a smile. "I feel fine, actually. But, those damned magic doctors won't let me leave until tomorrow." He seemed irked by this. "I slept pretty well though, for once." He met Loki's eyes as he said this and Loki raised an inquisitive brow at him. Clint sighed and turned to Natasha, who was standing beside Loki at the bedside. "Hey. Nat, can you give me and Loki a moment. I want to talk to him...In private."

Natasha looked between the two most important men in her life, her eyes unsure, given their past history. After a long moment of deliberation, she nodded and turned around, exiting out of the cubical saying that she was going to go check in on Steve.

As soon as she was gone Clint turned his keen eyes to Loki. "So, word on the ward is that you saved me." Loki nodded, not sure where this was leading. "Why?"

Loki's eyes widened a bit at the sudden question. He studied Clint, and found him to be genuinely curious as to Loki's answer. Loki sighed. "Why wouldn't I?"

Clint snorted. "Oh, please. After all the hell I've given you since you came back to Earth, I wouldn't have put it past you to just let me die. I would expect it actually."

Loki frowned. "You still think so little of me? That I would let a man, an ally, die over some petty grudge. You wound me, Agent Barton."

Clint shook his head. "I don't get you. One minute you're a royal prick, and then the next you're reasonable, sensitive guy. I don't get it."

Loki smirked. "Come now, Agent Barton, you should know by now that there is more than one side to a coin. Not everything is black and white, right or wrong. There is more to everyone and everything than what meets the eye."

Clint tilted his head. "I suppose you're right." He paused. "But, seriously, why did you save me?"

Loki sighed and walked over to lean on the table that sat against the wall in the cubical. "It's not really that complicated. Natasha hold you dear to her heart. You and I may not be friends, but she and you are, and I could not, in good conscience, have let you die when I had the power to save you."

Clint nodded. "So, it was all for Natasha's sake?"

Loki nodded. "Yes. Though, I suppose that there was a bit of a debt to be paid."

Clint cocked his head. "Debt?"

"You kept your word and protected Natasha, just like I asked. I owed you for that. And, I guess it could be seen as my way of saying sorry for turning you on your friends before." Loki shrugged.

"When you put it like that, I can see your point," Clint conceded.

"I'll be honest. I didn't think that I would be able to repair the damage in time," Loki admitted. "Do you remember anything?"

Clint scrunched up his face in thought. "Sort of. It's all vague and blurry, but one instance stands out clearly." He met Loki's eyes. "I remember seeing angels." He looked as if this were the most absurd thing ever. "Wierd, huh. I mean, you hear stories about people claiming to see a long black tunnel with a white light at the end, and you hear voices calling out to you. Some say that that is just hospital lights and the doctors talking to you. But this, this was different..." he trailed off, unsure.

Loki sighed and nodded. "It was the _Valkyries_." Clint looked up at him in confusion. Loki explained. "They are the warrior maidens of Valhalla. They come to collect the souls of warriors that have fallen in battle and take them to the Golden Hall. They bear a startling resemblance to the 'angels' that you mortals speak of and depict in your architecture and art. They had come to take you to Valhalla, but I was just able to pull you back from death and restore you to life."

"So they were real?" Clint asked.

"Very real," Loki assured. "Don't worry. You haven't gone mad."

Clint gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, that's a relief. I was hoping to not have something in common with you. Glad to see that I'm still in the clear." He smirked to show that he was joking. "But, in all seriousness," he held his hand out to Loki, "thank you."

Loki nodded and reached out, clasping the archer's hand firmly. "Don't mention it."

**XXXX One Week Later.**

Clint hugged Natasha hard, the red-haired woman returned the embrace just as hard. After a moment, they stepped back from each other. Clint looked down at her with a bit of a smirk on his lips. "You take care of yourself, Nat. Alright?"

Natasha nodded. "You too."

Clint looked over her shoulder at Loki and motioned the Trickster forward. Loki stepped up to stand beside Natasha. Clint extended his hand to Loki, who smiled and took it, shaking it firmly. "You take care of her. If you don't, I still have an arrow with your name on it," Clint said, only half joking.

Loki's smile did not falter. "I would expect nothing less, Agent Barton."

Clint nodded and released his hand. He then stepped back to stand with the rest of those returning to Earth. Tony, Bruce and Steve. Tony was not wearing his armor, and instead was carrying a silver briefcase in his hand. He looked at Loki and Natasha, and winked. "Hey, promise me that you guys won't forget about us up here in the clouds. And make sure you come and visit sometime. Stark Tower is always open to you and I promise not to rent out your room." He seemed to have an afterthought. "Oh, and we had better get invitations to the wedding!" Natasha glared at Tony and flipped him off. Tony laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, honey, that's Loki's job." He winked again. Natasha was barely able to keep the blush from her face. "Oh, and speaking of which, I hope the rooms are soundproofed here!"

Natasha's eyes grew wide, realizing what he meant, and that line in the letter he had left suddenly making sense. She could not control her blush this time, and Loki didn't help by chuckling and smirking at her.

Loki raised a hand in farewell to Tony and the billionaire returned it with a sloppy offhanded salute.

Bruce and Steve said their goodbyes and Heimdall opened the Bifrost, letting the portal pull them in and send them far, across the stars to Earth, back home. Natasha watched them go, sadly. Loki put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Don't worry, _Min Kjære_, we'll see them again." He looked down at her. "After all, there is still that _wedding_ idea that Tony mentioned." He smiled teasingly.

She blushed again, smiled and smacked him on the chest. "Don't get ahead of yourself there, Odinson, you still have to ask me, you know."

Loki smirked, "All in good time," he whispered.

Natasha looked up at him, not having caught exactly what he had said. "What?"

Loki acted surprised. "Hm? What? I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did," she pressed.

Loki shook his head and pulled Natasha closer to him as they turned to head back to the city. He helped her mount his black horse, Odin was riding Sleipnir, and then mounted behind her, one hand taking up the reigns, and the other coming to rest on her flat stomach for support. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, his warm breath on her cool skin sending a shiver down her spine. "_Ty vyvdesh' za menya, Natasha? Budete li vy moim? Navsegda?_"

Natasha gasped and turned her head around to look at him, finding him smiling softly, but uncertainly down at her. She let her lips quirk a bit, smirking lightly. "_Vse v svoye vremya._"

Loki laughed, while Natasha continued to smirk. He spurred the horse into a canter and they set off, back to Asgard with the rest of Loki's family.

**THE END?**

**XXXX**

**A/N: And that's that. The End. I hope you all enjoyed this, and ask that you all leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated to hear what you thought, so long as it isn't a flame.**

**I have an idea for a possible sequel, but no promises. I know that it would be cruel to leave it here, what with Schmidt's reveal and such. I'll try, that's all I can say. I won't push it and try to force a story into existence.**

**P.S.: Yes, that last bit of the chapter is a homage to Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I love that movie, almost as much as the first one...Robert Downey Jr. is a genius. Simple as that. I also made a reference to War Horse in this chapter. Did anyone catch it?**

**I made a song list to act as the soundtrack to this story, it is written below.**

**Soundtrack**

**We Are One - 12 Stones (Main Theme)**

**Burn - Alkaline Trio**

**Misery's Crown - Dark Tranquility**

**Enemy Sex - Evergreen Terrace**

**I - Tyr (Loki's Theme)**

**Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd**

**El Mañana - Gorillaz**

**Destroyer of the Universe - Amon Amarth**

**In My Tears - Emigrate**

**Twisted Mind - Avantasia**

**Brother My Brother - Blessid Union of Souls**

**Dead Flowers - Demon Hunter**

**It Was You - 12 Stones (Loki and Natasha's Theme)**

**Symphony of Life - Avantasia (Natasha's Theme)**

**Gravemakers and Gunslingers - Coheed and Cambria**

**Another Hero Lost - Shadows Fall**

**Bulletproof - 12 Stones**

**Loki's Lullaby - Kate Mann**

**I honestly did not think that Soundgarden's 'Live to Rise' was theme song material, and would have chosen 'We Are One' by 12 Stones instead, that is why I put it as the main theme for my story. I had to think very carefully for Loki's Theme, Natasha's Theme and the love theme, but I like my choices. **

**Translations:**

_Ty vyvdesh' za menya, Natasha? Budete li vy moim? Navsegda _- 'Will you marry me, Natasha? Will you be mine? Forever?' (Russian)

_Vse v svoye vremya_ - 'All in good time.' (Russian)

**Again: THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!**

**Until next time.**

**-Atrocity.**


	27. AN - Sequel

**A/N: I felt that I should post this to inform those that do not have me on Author Alert that the sequel to this story is now up. It is titled 'Resistance'. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Until Next Time.**

**-Atrocity.**


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